


Lesbian Mania

by nyaco



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, I REALLY DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO TITLE THIS OH COD, callie and marie are cuttlefish fight me, dedf1sh uses they/them show some respect, eight doesn't really know how to talk, it gets a little angsty, smh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-09-06 14:10:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20292748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyaco/pseuds/nyaco
Summary: So basically, Three teaches Eight about the surface and all it has to offer. But oh no-someone has a crush! I wonder who it is. No seriously-there's so many.Watch as 8 lesbian cephalopods try and figure out what is happening and why their emotions are being weird





	1. Uh oh, we're on the surface!

Agent Eight looked out at the surface. The place she had fought so hard to get to; it was finally a reality. She smiled, looking over her shoulder at the friends she had made along the way. The mem cakes she had collected still in the storage compartment of her ink tank. The poems she had written to go along with them. Captain, Marina, Pearl, Iso Padre…

And Agent Three.

Something about her… it made her feel queasy. Maybe it was their fight in the elevator, maybe it was because she had saved her from certain death. She couldn’t pin-point where the feeling had come from.

“Eight!” Pearl shouted, shaking her from her thoughts. “You did amazing out there-I’m so proud!” She hugged Eight tightly, earning a gasp and a smile from the octoling. From the corner of her eye, she saw Marina look at the pair with pride. Eight blushed as she began to speak in octarian.

_ “So, have you thought about where you’d stay?” _ Eight looked at her inquisitively before shaking her head ‘no’. She hadn’t even given it the slightest thought, really. Marina looked to Pearl, and then over to the Captain and Three. _ “Well,” _ She began. _ “We’d love to take you in, dear. But… if you really want to see the surface, we wouldn’t ever have time to show you… and our fans-” _ She began to speak in inklish to Pearl, which she couldn’t quite make out. Something along the lines of sleep and the surface.

Then began a conversation between the duo, who quickly dragged Cuttlefish and the other agent into it, subsequently leaving Eight out of it. Because, well, she couldn't understand a thing they were saying! Lots of ‘stay’ and ‘surface’ were heard by the octoling though. Her inklish vocabulary was severely limited, but during some downtime in the metro Marina had taken the time to teach her a few basics. She had also translated for her when Pearl or Captain couldn’t quite find the words in her native language. _ ‘Marina is so nice! She feels like a mother to me…’ _Eight thought, looking at her hands. 

Then, all the talking had stopped. 

_ “Eight,” _ Said Marina. The octoling in question looked up at her, resting her hands on the ground. _ “We were talking, and we think that maybe it’s best for you to stay with Agent Three so you can begin learning about the surface. Does that sound okay?” _ Marina put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, her smile warm and trustworthy. 

Eight, although still not receiving the greatest vibe from the agent, nodded in agreement._ “Yes!” _

-

In Inkopolis, everything was so bright! So many colors and lights-it was amazing! Eight smiled wider than she ever _ dreamed _ was possible. The city-no, the _ entire _ surface was dazzling and bustling with life! She absolutely couldn’t take her eyes off of everything below her, even when the helicopter landed, she couldn’t stop looking at the city. So vast, the air so clean, the sky… it has so many colors! She heard Marina giggle, but didn’t bother to look over at her. This… it was everything she had ever dreamed of. Possibly even more. _ Probably _ even more! Yes-it was _ so much more! _

Marina tapped her on the shoulder, finally pulling her gaze away from Inkopolis. _“We better get going, dear. Three’s home is a while away and you must be exhausted by now.”_ She laughed gently, wiping her finger across Eight’s cheek. She must have been crying-she hadn’t realized it, though.

_“You’re just like me when I first came to the surface.”_ She guided her up, holding her hand. She saw Pearl smile at her and give her a hand gesture with her thumb she could only guess meant something positive. _“There’s so much to do here, Eight. So many sights, sounds… more than you’re experiencing now. I’m so glad you’ll be able to see them all.”_ Eight nodded, looking at the older octoling who was now leading her away from the helicopter and towards a flight of stairs. 

_“Thank you.”_ Was all she could say in return.

-

It was just her and Three now. Marina and Pearl left to go back home, she supposed. And so did Captain. She said her goodbyes, hoping they were only temporary. The inkling silently guided Eight into what she called a ‘tazi’(?) It was so weird. Three put a strip of fabric over her, securing her to the… the thing. 

“How long?” Eight asked, hoping she was saying that correctly. Three made a humming noise before saying, “About thirty minutes.” The octoling nodded, picking up her ink tank from the floor of the ‘tazi’ and opening up its storage compartment. Inside were all her mem cakes, a small journal, and an equally small pen. She felt eyes on her as the ‘tazi’ began to move. 

“What’s that?” Three asked. Her voice was low and polite, not something Eight really expected from her. “Mem cakes. And poem journal!” She exclaimed, showing off the small bag of trinkets.

Three nodded before returning to staring out the window. She looked like something was bothering her, but the octoling wasn’t exactly sure how to ask what was wrong. She instead opted to opening her journal to a fresh page and began to scribble down a lengthy paragraph about how amazing the surface was. 

-

The inkling lead Eight up several flights of stairs to her apartment door. As they approached, Eight watched Three pull out a small metal object shaped _ almost _like a charger. The taller of the two then shoved the object into the door, and walked inside as it opened. Eight made a small sound of wonder before quickly following the other agent’s footsteps. 

Inside the apartment was rather messy. Lots of trash was strewn about, but Three seemed unphased, kicking soda cans away from her like it was normal. Eight made a mental note to maybe help clean tomorrow if Three would let her.

“Well,” Three began, sitting down on her equally messy couch. “I’ll sleep here. You can take my bed, it's just down the hall, first room on the left. Night, Eight.” The octoling stood there for a moment, processing the information. 

But that meant… she was going to sleep on the couch?

“No! You sleep in you bed, I’ll sleep there.” She pointed to where Three was laying. 

“Seriously, Eight, it’s fine.” Three tried to reason. Eight only shook her head ‘no’.

“Sleep in you bed.” She stated, making a pouty face. Three groaned, rolling off the couch and onto her feet. “Fine,” She murmured. Eight smiled.

Three began to walk over to her room, going inside and quickly coming back out with lots of fabric in her arms. “Blanket and a pillow.” She said, handing them to Eight. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to wake me up.” Eight nodded, semi-understandingly. Three then went back into her room, silently closing the door.

The octoling took off her shoes, then neatly unfolded the blanket and draped it over herself before placing the pillow underneath her head. She smiled to herself, thinking about the good she had done today in addition to finally coming to the surface.

_ ‘Goodnight, Inkopolis.’ _ She thought, before letting sleep consume her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets better-I promise. I write these at like 3 AM WHoOps


	2. This might've happened before, but I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.

_ Eight shot at the ground and quickly dove into her ink, waiting for the opposing inkling to use her splashdown.  _

_ Orange ink splattered everywhere as Eight moved, spraying the ground and quickly diving in over and over, and just when the octoling thought she had her, an autobomb snuck up on her from behind, splatting her. _

_ Over and over she was splatted. Seeing that smug grin again and again. She was so satisfied with seeing Eight in pain, seeing her determination wear off, watching her fail over, and over, and over, and over. _

_ “You took damage,” Rang a voice, louder than anything she had ever heard before. Eight quickly dropped her weapon to put her hands over her ears, crying out in pain. “Test failed.” It said, splatting her once again. _

_ The Inkantation was so loud-it was completely deafening. She couldn’t remember when it started, and didn’t know if it’d ever stop. The sound of the splashdowns, the autobombs, the repetitive ‘test failed.’s, oh cod. She couldn’t take it. _

_ She fell to the cold white ground, her hands clamped over her ears and closing her eyes as tight as she could, screaming as if it could take her senses away. Her body ached from being splatted, her motivation worn so thin, her feelings were unbearable. _

_ She felt something on her back, pushing down with the force of a thousand salmonids.  _

_ ‘No,’ She thought, ceasing her screams as all noise ceased.  _

_ It pressed down harder. Her hands her now focused on trying to reach her weapon. ‘It’s so close…’ She thought, wincing from the pain on her spine. Then, another foot came down on her arm. She let out a scream, trying to shift into an octopus. _

_ She couldn’t. _

_ Eight then felt cold metal against the back of her head. She moved her head, finally getting a good look at her foe.  _

_ Her eyes widened, recognizing the inkling above her. “Three-” She choked out, but not before the inkling could push down on her arm harder. She screamed, desperately scratching at her shoe with her other hand-but that proved to be useless. The octoling then began to gently sob, wishing for the pain to end. _

_ And then it did. _

-

“Eight-Eight! Wake up!” She heard Three’s distant voice. She sounded so worried. At that, the octoling quickly snapped into reality, seeing Three’s face extremely close to her own and feeling her body being shook.

_ ‘Three,’  _ She thought, quickly backing away from the inkling. She rose a hand to her face, feeling wetness underneath her eyes.  _ ‘Strange…’  _ She thought, before shifting her focus back onto Three.

Three.  _ Three.  _

The inkling who had tried to kill her.

Her memories came rushing back out of her subconscious. Three said something, but she couldn’t hear her. She sounded as if she were underwater, muffled and so far away. She wanted to be as far away from the inkling as possible in that very moment. She had so much fear stored inside of her, so much anger, so much sadness that she hadn’t even known about. 

Watery ink began to leak from her eyes, faint sobs being choked out from deep within her. 

_ ‘Oh my cod,’  _ She thought, bringing a hand to her head, angrily gripping her tentacles.  _ ‘Three tried to kill me. And  _ I  _ tried to kill  _ her _ .’  _ The octoling flung the blanket over her head, bringing her knees to her chest and gripping them tightly. 

“Eight, what’s wrong?” Three whispered gently. The octoling only cried a little louder, backing up a tad further. “You hurt me... I hurt you… The song...” Was all she could choke out. Three knew all too well what she was talking about.

Their fight before Kamabo.

“That…” Three tried to make an excuse to hopefully make the octoling feel better, but there was none. There were no excuses, only reasons. Horrible reasons that lead up to horrible situations, horrible thoughts, and horrible actions.

Three knelt before Eight, wanting to pull her into a hug, but knowing that now was not the time. “I’m so sorry, Eight.” She whispered.

It took a moment before the inkling could muster up the courage to break the silence of sobs. 

“I’m not that person anymore.” She stated, her voice nearly void of emotion. Eight silenced her sobs and peeked out from under her blanket. “I’ve changed-we all have, really. What I did… I fucking regret. I regret all of it. Especially after seeing what you did.” She shook her head as if to clear out her thoughts momentarily. “I’m sorry. I… I get it if you hate me for it.”

Change. That one wonderful thing. How we develop our character, how life moves on. So strange, so scary, yet so wonderful. Eight thought for a moment. She was in Three’s apartment. She was sleeping on Three’s couch. She was trusting her. Three was showing remorse for what she had done.

She said that she had changed.

Maybe she was too trusting of her, but...

There was once again a silence between the two before the octoling lunged at Three, enveloping her in a tight hug. 

“It’s alright.” Eight soothed, feeling Three’s arms slowly embrace her as well. “All is forgiven. The past is past, all can we do now is to learn and grow.” She felt Three slowly nod, burying her head into the octoling’s shoulder. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve last had a hug.” She whispered, softly laughing. 

Eight smiled, glad to be comforting Three, and to have someone to comfort her as well.

-

“Uno!” Yelled Four, slamming a yellow card onto the table. Callie groaned, looking at her 18-card hand, not a single yellow card in sight. “This is so unfair!” She whined, pouting and looking over to Marie who only smirked and put down a yellow card of her own. 

“Your turn.” She teased, sharing an amused look with Agent Four. Callie wanted to scream because as soon as she began picking out cards, Marie and Four started howling with laughter. “Oh, shut up, would you!?” She snapped, but all fell silent as there came a buzzing from Marie’s pocket.

The cuttlefish looked at her phone before sighing and rolling her eyes. “Hold on, I better take this.” She put her hand on the table face-down. “Don’t you  _ dare _ peek.” She walked into her bedroom, silently shutting the door behind her. 

Callie glanced over at Four, a knowing look on both their faces. “Just for a second, Cal.” Four whispered, picking up Marie’s cards. “You’re so unfair!” She whispered back, setting down her own stack and staring over Four’s shoulder. After about ten seconds, they placed Marie’s cards back onto the table.

They both sighed. “I mean, she’s totally waiting to use those plus fours on you, and you know it.” Four laughed. Callie glared daggers into the squid. “I hate you both so much!” She whisper-yelled. Then, the sound of Marie’s door opening was heard, and the two ceased conversation and quickly began to pretend like nothing ever happened. 

Marie sat back down, picking up her cards. “Our label found someone, an octoling DJ who recently came to the surface.” She said to her cousin. “Wants us to meet with them and see if we could do something together.” The pink cuttlefish smiled widely. 

_ “Finally!”  _ She exclaimed, throwing her hands (and cards) into the air. Marie and Four could only look on in slight bewilderment. “Something  _ new!” _ Marie snickered along with Four. 

Callie huffed, beginning to pick up her cards that were now scattered all along the floor. “I hate this game, and I hate you two.” she mumbled. “Aww, Callie, you know you love us.” Marie teased. 

“Oh, hush!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what the fuck is an uno. also I know nothing about the music industry so,, hOpefuLLy it's ok


	3. I wanna break your damn mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! I just wanna tell you that there is mentioned implied self harm in this chapter.

The last thing Three expected upon waking up was to find herself cuddling with Eight on the floor of her living room. The inkling felt her ink rush to her face as she recalled the events from last night. Eight had finally remembered her fight with Three, and woke her up with screaming sobs. The only logical reason as to why she was currently cuddling the octoling would be because she had fallen asleep during their long embrace, and Eight had as well. Or she just didn’t want to wake her up.

Now she was conflicted. Get up and leave Eight lying on the ground alone, or stay there on the hard floor and probably hurt herself in doing so. She thought for a moment, looking out the window. It was still pretty dark…

The inkling slowly stood up, stretching out her arms and legs. God, the ground was horrible. She made a mental note to _never _let herself fall asleep on the floor ever again. Three then looked back at Eight who was still peacefully sleeping, not even noticing that the inkling once practically cuddling her was now gone. She sighed, bending over to pick her up. 

Eight was surprisingly light, probably from running around and saving the world (and herself) from crazy evil telephones, she guessed. The inkling carried her into her room, gently laying her down on her bed. She got a good look at her alarm clock, which read 5:16 AM. Yeah, it was way too early. Not to mention Eight was probably exhausted from her nightmare _and_ the fight… It was probably best for them both to get some rest, honestly. But before she could get back to sleep, Three had to use the bathroom. So off she went, simply across the hall, nearly dragging her aching body into the cold-tiled room. 

Once inside with the door shut, she got a good look at herself in the mirror.

And she did not like what she saw.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to scream so fucking loudly. As if the scars already all along her body weren’t enough. On her eye resided a large green scar from where she had been taken over by that goop shit. And the icing on the shitty cake-her eye was a sickly toxic green. 

She fell to the ground, wanting to scream, to cry, to let all the frustration out, but she knew she couldn’t. No, she had a guest. One who had already been through enough fuckery for a _lifetime_. The inkling looked at her hands, not knowing what to do. Does she scratch at it until it’s a inky mess? Fuck no. Try and hide it with makeup? Yeah, that’ll never work. She doesn’t have any, anyway.

She had scars all over her body-most from agent work, some from her own doing, hell, some from her own fucking parents. But _this? THIS _is going to send her over the edge? _‘Fucking pathetic.’ _She thought, clawing at her fabric covered arm. 

Three stopped, taking a moment to breathe and calm herself down. She took long shaky breaths in and out continuously before simply doing her business and going back to her bed, trying not to invade Eight’s personal space the best she could. Her bed was fucking huge-a king sized one, mind you. Best her budget could get her since she spends most of her days there, anyway. So it wasn’t _that _hard not to get very close to Eight.

But part of her longed for a sweet hug like the one from just a few hours before. Especially now. She didn’t want to think about the horror on her face, only the warmth and love Eight provided her in that small period of time.

So before she knew it, she was cuddled up with the octoling once again, an arm around Eight’s waist and the other underneath the inkling’s own head. Three mentally sighed, feeling as if this were _so_ _fucking wrong,_ but it was almost as if she couldn’t control her body. She _hated _ that feeling, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

Yet even before she could regain momentary control, she was out like a light.

-

_“Three?” Came Captain Cuttlefish’s shaky voice. She opened her eyes, feeling her entire body ache. She looked at the man before her. He seemed almost… nervous, although she heard rejoicing behind her. “Y-yes?” She asked, her voice a hoarse whisper._

_Cuttlefish sighed. “Your-” “Captain, Three, can we speak for a moment?” Came Marina’s unmistakable voice, one Three knew all too well from watching the news for stage rotations. What she was doing there, why Marina and Pearl were right before her with an octoling, she had no idea. That is until Marina and Cuttlefish noticed her confused expression and momentarily briefed her, bringing her hazy memories back._

_“So, what we mean to ask is if Eight could stay with you for a while, Three. You’d probably be the best person to show her around, teach her about turf wars and get her integrated into Inkling society.” Marina explained. “We’d even pay your rent if you agree. It shouldn’t be that much. Least we could do, anyway.” Pearl added._

_Three only nodded and stated; “Yeah. Why not. Don’t have anything better to do.” _

_The duo smiled at her, Marina’s hand giving her shoulder a light squeeze. “Thanks, Three.”_

_-_

Pearl groaned, spinning around in her office chair. “Why won’t she pick up already!” She huffed, dropping her phone onto the ground. Marina bent over and picked it up, handing it back to the inkling. 

“They’re probably sleeping, Pearlie.” Marina stated as the inkling only scoffed. “They had a long day. Eight needs her rest and so does Three.” Pearl let out another long groan, slipping down from her chair and onto the floor. 

The inkling looked at Marina extremely unamused. “It’s almost 1 in the afternoon.” The octoling let out a small giggle. “You used to always sleep in until 3, Pearl!” She teased, lightly tapping her girlfriend on the nose. “N-no I didn’t!” She lied, looking away and crossing her arms. 

“We came so close to missing so many recordings… I’m just glad you agreed to start waking up earlier.” Marina reminisced, looking out the window beside them. There was a long silence between the two until the octoling spoke up.

“Do you think…” For once Marina didn’t quite know how to put how she felt into words. Pearl looked at her, concern written all over her face. She had never heard that tone from Marina before except in one or two other situations. They were all extremely serious.

Marina finally found her words. “Do you think people will hate me?” Pearl blinked, not knowing what she meant. “Because I’m an octoling,” She corrected. “Will people hate Eight? And the rest of us as well?” Pearl stared at Marina, almost taken aback by what she had just said. The octoling hardly ever doubted herself-her mind was always made (but forever open to new ideas). She didn’t really know what to say. People always thought Marina’s tentacles were just the result of some fancy upscale salon work-but she was just an octoling. An octoling who escaped.

“Marina-” She began, but stopped herself. She was probably gonna fuck this all up and make her girlfriend feel worse. But hey, something needed to be said. The silence was deafening. “People have loved you since the very start. More than they will ever like me-and if they quit loving you just because you're an octoling… then I guess I’ll just have to beat ‘em to an inky pulp!” The octoling chuckled, watching Pearl slam her fist into her hand. “If people don’t like octolings bein’ here, then they’re dumb. Because they’re just like the rest of us.” She looked over to Marina, a reassuring smile on her face. Marina smiled back, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. 

“I love you, Pearlie.” 

“Love ya too, ‘Rina.”

-

Callie entered the studio by loudly slamming open the door. “Hello!” She chimed, Marie slowly walking in behind her. “Ah, there you two are!” Said their manager in reply. He was a tall and lanky sharkling who had a rather large and floppy fin on top of his head. Sharkling’s fins were never the best for staying hidden, so they mostly avoided turf wars and stuck to more traditional work.

Behind their manager was a timid octoling. Though, she wasn’t like Marina or Eight. She had completely green skin. _‘Huh.’ _Thought Callie. _‘That’s a little… odd.’ _The sharkling took notice of the duo looking at the DJ behind him. “Oh, yes!” He said, stepping away from where the octoling was situated. “That’s Dedf1sh, the DJ I told you about! Their music is-well, here. I’ll just let you listen to it.”

-

The Squid Sisters and their new DJ friend wrapped up their little test session. Dedf1sh… they didn’t say too much. And what little they _did _say was in half-broken inklish. Definitely very new to being on the surface. Marie had already left to grab a drink along with their manager, so Callie figured, hey, why not try and make conversation?

_“Hey!” _She spoke in octarian. The octoling looked up, surprised.

_“You speak… octarian?” _They queried, their voice almost a whisper. Callie nodded, a smile plastered on her face. _“N-nice…” _Their face began to turn a bright fuchsia, contrasting their green skin. Now that she got a good look, the octoling had such fascinating eyes as well. Completely black sclera against neon green irises. So intriguing… 

_“So,” _Callie began. _“What’s your name?” _An innocent question, she figured. She wanted to know a bit more about the octoling she’d be working with for the next few months. The DJ looked conflicted. 

_“I... can’t remember my real name.” _They said. Callie nodded apologetically. _“Oh, s-sorry!” _She said, averting eye contact. Dedf1sh shook their head, smiling. _“It’s alright. You can just call me Delilah for now.” _The cuttlefish looked back up, a smile returning to her face. _“Sounds good to me!”_ She beamed.Marie and their manager walked back into the room, her cousin throwing her two bottles of water, one of which she passed to the DJ. Callie nodded, waiting for the sharkling to speak. "Well," He mused, a hand on his chin.

"I think a collaboration could be in order..." Callie watched as Delilah smiled excitedly. The pink cuttlefish clapped her hands together, happy for her new friend and the duo. "Sounds good." Stated Marie, taking another sip of her water. Callie began nodding profusely, making the octoling lightly giggle. "Fantastic!" He exclaimed. "I figure we should schedule something then, hmm?"

Callie groaned. "This is the _worst _part." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did it i made dedf1sh's name delilah  
aLSO I DONT KNOW MUSIC INDUSTRY DONT COME AFTER ME AAAGH  
next chapter is hella long srry this one is short lol


	4. Let's do some learning today!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So many doors that need knocking, so little time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooh it gets a little angsty but FIRST u gotta have ur daily dose of cute wholesomeness  
this one is a little longer and like i wanna start writing longer chapters so!!!!!! here we goooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!  
ANOTHER TW 4 IMPLIED SELF HARM

Eight awoke only to find herself immobilized by a pair of arms secured around her waist, with a very loud humming noise coming from somewhere close by. The octoling turned her head, only to find that Three was the one trapping her. She’d feel bad if she woke her up, but that noise… it was almost unbearable. She gently shook the other agent, whispering for her to get up. Three only made an annoyed noise, tightening her grip and burying herself deeper into the octoling’s back. Ow. _ Ow. _

That hurt.

So bad.

She yelped and tried to kick away from Three, who finally woke up. “Wha…” She grumbled, scooting away from the octoling as ink rushed to her face. “You okay?” She asked, noticing the octoling’s clear discomfort. Eight nodded, gently rubbing her back. “My back hurts.” She whispered. The inkling looked confused before she heard that her phone was buzzing incessantly. “I gotta take care of this-you hang tight, I’ll look at your back then.” She grabbed her phone and groggily walked out of the room, leaving Eight alone in bed.

The agent had fallen asleep in the clothes she had been wearing for what felt like forever now. The material clung to her skin, and she wanted nothing more than to just rip it off already, but she had nothing else to change into, so that’d just have to wait. She ran her clawed fingers along her back, feeling for what could have caused such pain to shoot through her.

_ ‘__Soft… soft… ah-rough?’ _The girl wore a confused expression, feeling around a little more. The rough patch of skin ran up her back, giving off a tingling sensation when touched. She wanted to see what it was, but had no way of doing so. Eight clawed at it a little before immediately retracting her hand as pain shot through her back once again. She whimpered softly, scared to discover what was on her back.

“Alright,” Three sighed, walking back towards the octoling. “Marina wants to come over in a few so she can teach you some stuff. Now turn around, I should probably check out your back.” Eight nodded, doing as she was told. The inkling sat down next to her, making a sound of displeasure. Eight cocked her head to the side, producing a quiet noise of questioning. “What it is?” She inquired in broken inklish.

Three mumbled something to herself that Eight couldn’t quite decipher. “You’ve got a huge scar here.... Do you… know what happened?” She asked cautiously. “A scar?” Said Eight, confused as to what that meant. “Y-yeah like… uh…” Three couldn’t find the right words, so she slowly rolled up her sleeve a bit instead, ignoring what was on her face. She pointed to one of the more noticeable cuts on her wrist, internally cringing, knowing where it had come from. 

Three cleared her throat. “They appear when you’re hurt badly. Something cuts too deep, and your body can’t heal over it properly.” She rolled her sleeve back up again. “Except,” The inkling looked back at Eight’s ginormous scar. “Yours is huge. And… blue-ish.” She gently ran a finger over the skin. Eight flinched away, causing Three to retract her hand. “Sorry.” She mumbled.

Where could Eight have gotten hurt so badly on her back? The octoling pondered for a minute, recalling unpleasant memories of 8-Balls and balloons. And then being exploded when she…

Oh.

Eight gently tugged her top back down, turning to face Three once again. She thought for a moment, not exactly sure how to say she was blown up hundreds of times by a blue slug thing. 

“Explosion-from my ink pack. When failed?” She guessed, hoping her words were correct. Three’s face grew dark with anger. “They _ blew you up _down there?” She growled. The inkling didn’t exactly know why it infuriated her so much-maybe because she saw how hurt Eight was from being in that hellhole, emotionally and physically-but she was mad. She wanted to sucker punch whatever had fucking blown her up so many times that she now bore a scar on her back. 

The only thing that could drag her out of her thoughts was feeling Eight’s soft hands rest upon her clenched fist. “Its okay. It’s over now-we don’t need worry.” Her soft smile was enough to help put the inkling at ease. She sighed, looking at the octoling again. 

She stared at her face, studying how _ perfect _ it looked. You’d think her face would be fucked up too, but it wasn’t. It looked perfect. Three then let her eyes trail down to her clothes, noticing how pristine they were as well. For how long she had been wearing them, throughout all that happened…

The inkling shot up, marching over to her dresser. “Three?” Eight wondered. “You’ve been wearing those clothes too long.” Her face was flush with ink after realizing how she had been staring at the octoling. She picked out an old yellow t-shirt along with some grey sweatpants that looked like they’d fit the girl. They basically had the same body type, after all. 

She returned to where Eight was sitting, and shoved the clothes into her arms. “You put these on… I-I’ll go make breakfast.” The octoling tilted her head after hearing a foreign word, but before she could ask what it meant, Three had left the room.

Was she okay? Her face was super flushed… Eight looked down at the clothes in her arms. A tattered yellow shirt with inklish words she couldn’t read written on it, and grey pants that had little spots of paint on them. Not too noticeable, but Eight had seen them nonetheless. The girl shrugged, getting up to change. 

She tugged off her skirt that was practically _ glued _ to her at this point. After a little convincing, though, it finally came off. She slipped the new pants on, noticing how _ extremely _ soft they felt. She gently pet the fabric, marveling at how amazing they felt on her skin. She wondered if the shirt would feel the same way. So after working the black top off, she slipped the shirt on. It was _ even softer. _ Eight felt a smile creep onto her face, giddy with happiness. _ “Surface clothes are so lovely!” _She sang in octarian. After a small period of rejoicing with herself, there came a knock at the door. 

“Hey,” Came Three’s muffled voice. “Food is ready. Come ‘n get it whenever.” Eight nodded to herself, walking over to the door. She wondered how she looked in the new clothing she wore, but there weren’t any mirrors around. So instead, the octoling opened the door and stepped outside of the room. A sweet smell began wafting towards her, making her mouth water. The girl made her way out to the kitchen, spotting Three sitting down at the small dining table and eating something.

Eight sat down where an extra platter of food was laid out for her. She looked at she shiny metal utensils next to the plate, unsure as to what they did. Three looked at the octoling and tilted her head slightly, confused. “Don’t tell me they didn’t have pancakes down there.” She groaned. Eight looked at her, extremely confused as to what was laid out before her, why it smelled so good, and why metal tools were laid out beside it. 

“What is pancake?” She asked, holding up a butter knife. “What does this do?” Three facepalmed, adding onto the octoling’s confusion. “A pancake-it’s food, Eight.” She sighed, taking another bite. “You eat it. And that’s a knife-jeez, did they even feed you?” Eight only shrugged. The inkling briefly demonstrated how to use the fork and knife before going back to eating her food. Eight lifted a small forkful of pancake up to her mouth, biting down on it. 

Oh cod.

That was amazing.

She scarfed down the food, making it seem as though she hadn’t eaten in days. Three lightly chuckled; seeing someone scarf down her shitty frozen pancakes like they were a steak made by Gordon Ramsay was entertaining to say the least. 

“Hey,” Said Three, her tone a little urgent. Eight stopped chewing to listen. “Don’t eat so fast. You’ll get sick.” The octoling nodded and ate _ slightly _ slower. Three went right back to thinking after that.

What did she eat while she was in the metro? Or even just in octarian society? She hadn’t a clue about their culture-her job was to just kill them, after all. Oh yeah. She forgot about that. Would Eight hate her if she ever found out? Well, she _ did _ know that Three had tried to kill her before. Maybe that was the least of her worries for right now.

Though, even after only knowing the octoling for about a day, she had grown quite fond of her. It almost seemed as though some sort of maternal instinct came over her-protect the curious girl and teach her all she needed to know about inkling society. Sounded kinda motherly now that she had stopped to think about it. 

Huh.

She could probably get used to it.

Three’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on her door. The inkling jumped before getting up to see who it was. Eight had finished her pancakes long ago, now fiddling with the fork and knife. Three breathed out a light chuckle, resting her hand on the doorknob. She stood up a little straighter, looking through the peephole and seeing an impatient Pearl accompanied by an exhausted looking Marina. The inkling took a step back, opening the door.

“About time! I thought we’d be waiting out there _ forever! _” Pearl groaned. Marina giggled, walking into the apartment. “We were just eating, so,” Three sighed, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. Marina nodded, waving to Eight who came crashing into the older octoling, enveloping her in a tight hug.

_ “I missed you!” _ She said in octarian. Marina smiled, hugging her back. _ “I missed you too! How have things been going with Three?” _The inkling had no idea what they were saying. Instead of trying to figure it out, she flopped onto the couch and began to scroll through her Squidder feed. She felt someone sit down next to her, making her tear her eyes away from her phone and look over. It was only Pearl, looking as bored as she was.

Wow. 

That was weird to think about.

Having two celebrities in your shitty apartment-and being so… _ nonchalant. _ Fucking weird. But still, Three had no idea what to say. What was there to say? _ ‘Hi, welcome to my trashed apartment. Thanks for coming over to teach this octoling girl who I have hardly met how to essentially speak. Again, this place is trashed. Enjoy your stay!’ _

Yeah, no.

Instead, Three opted to continue scrolling through her Squidder, seeing all the commotion about how a massive human statue was discovered in the ocean _ drenched _ in pink ink, along with some Splatfest drama, turfing news, and about how octolings were finally coming to the surface. _ ‘Huh.’ _ She thought. _ ‘Guess no one knows how close Inkopolis was to total destruction last night.’ _She kept on scrolling, ignoring the commotion in front of her.

Suddenly, she felt something jab into her side. She put down her phone, glaring over to where the force had come from. There sat Pearl, a slightly smug look on her face. “Eight wants to tell ya somethin’.” She said. Three looked away from the inkling and up at the octoling before her. 

“I appreciate you!” Eight said, a huge smile on her face. Three didn’t exactly know _ why _ she had said that, but Eight looked proud, and Marina did as well. So she nodded, a faint smile on her face. “I, uh… appreciate you too, Eight.” She said awkwardly. Eight’s smile only got wider (how was that even possible?!) as she turned back to Marina and began to excitedly speak octarian to her once again. Three looked back at her phone, but not before Pearl spoke.

“So,” She began, leaning over towards Three. “Anything happen?” She asked. Three shrugged, turning her phone back off once again. “Well, she had a nightmare last night,” Pearl nodded, showing some concern. “And she has this huge scar on her back. It hurts her whenever things touch it, I guess.” Pearl nodded again, looking back at the octolings. “Well, you’ve got a huge one on your face.” 

Three wanted to slap her.

_ “I know.” _She hissed, lightly pulling down on the sleeve of her sweater. 

“Jeez, sorry.” Pearl mumbled, looking back at the octolings. There was an awkward silence filled only with Eight and Marina practicing inklish in the background. “So,” The small inkling began, Three only glancing at her over her phone. “You gonna show her turf then?” She asked. Three looked up from her phone and at the inkling. That was actually a good question. She’d have to introduce her to turf wars sooner or later. 

She shrugged, looking at Eight. “Maybe it’s a little too soon for that right now. I don’t know how she’d react…” She trailed off. Pearl nodded. “She’s been through a lot.” Three shut off her phone, curious as to what the octoling had to endure in the metro. “Do tell.” She stated.

“Well-it’s a little hard to explain. There were lotsa… tests she had to do.” Three nodded slowly, intrigued. “She had to push all these 8-balls around, bust some balloons, crates, lots of shit.” Pearl leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs comfortably. “It was a lot. I couldn’t blame her if she didn’t like turf.” Three nodded again, leaning back as well. “Sounds tough. Especially if they blew her up.” Pearl visibly cringed a little, agreeing with what the inkling had said. 

“Lemme tell ya-when she fought you on that elevator… I was a little worried.” Three raised an eyebrow at her words. “What do you mean?” She asked hesitantly. “Well-do you not remember?” The inkling shook her head no, concern written all over her face. “I only fought her before she stumbled into the metro-before she met you. Did I…” Pearl nodded. 

_ ‘Fuck.’ _

_ ‘Oh my cod.’ _

“When.” She demanded. “How.” Pearl sighed. “After you smashed that blender, Eight was making her way up to the surface. Had to go through all these levels _ filled _ with octarians.” Three felt a little nauseous. “Anyway, while she was makin’ her way up on elevator, you showed up with this green goop on your eye and attacked her. Cap said you were, like, ‘sanitized’ by that telephone.” She said, making air quotes. “You had, like, _ limitless _ specials. Kept bombarding her over and over-after she beat you, though, you were knocked out like a light. Prolly why you don’t remember. That _ or _the ‘sanitization’ wiped your memories of it.” 

Three held her hand up to the scar on her eye. “Th-this eye?” She stammered. Pearl nodded affirmatively. “I’ll be right back.” She said, getting up to go to the bathroom. “Okay…” Pearl said with slight worry. The agent got up, ignoring the look of curiosity that Eight gave her, and rushed into the bathroom. 

Once inside, she shut the door as quietly as she could and fell to the ground once more. Lots of breakdowns in this bathroom, she guessed. She felt tears prick at her eyes, but she knew she couldn’t let them fall. The inkling roughly rubbed her eyes with her sweater sleeve, making her scar sting. She hissed, slowly standing up to look at it in the mirror. It was hideous. “Why me…” She whispered, wiping away another tear that was threatening to fall. Then a knock came at the door, making Three whip around and wipe her face off once again. She hummed, acknowledging the knock.

“Are you okay?” Came Eight’s soft voice. Cod-it was almost heavenly. Three nodded before realizing that you can’t see a nod through a thick layer of wood. 

“Yes.” She stated, her voice slightly quavering. There was a moment of silence before the octoling spoke again. 

“Sure are you?” She questioned before correcting her grammar. “Are you sure?” Three let out a shaky breath before answering once again. 

“Yes, I’m sure.” She repeated. “Alright,” replied Eight. “S-sorry, you looked… uh… dis… trout!” She seemed proud of herself, although she had pronounced the word wrong. Only Eight could make pronouncing a word completely wrong sound cute. Only Eight... The octoling then walked away from the door, leaving Three alone to have her emotional meltdown in the bathroom. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha lol that was really fun 2 write  
also i love uploading my writing on here yall r TOO SWEET AGHHHHH  
hav a good day ily :3


	5. Hand me the remote control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight gains a slight distaste for inklings' apparent obsession with rectangles.

Three finally allowed herself to quietly cry-an art she had mastered several years ago. 

_ That’s _ why she hated not feeling in control. _ That’s _why she had this disgusting scar.

_ Disgusting… _

The word echoed around in her head, making her feel confined within her own mind. _ ‘I didn’t mean to do it-I didn’t mean to do it-I didn’t mean to do it-’ _She repeated in her head, trying to justify her actions.

_ ‘There is no justification. You did something wrong. Now reap what you sow.’ _

Three wanted to scream so

Fucking

Badly.

She rose herself off of the cold tile and placed her ear against the door. She could only hear octarian being spoken from her living room. The inkling wiped her face of tears and slowly inched open the door, peeking beyond it and at her bedroom door. She stuck her head out a little further, making sure the trio were distracted. 

She then dashed into her room, her hearts nearly skipping a beat. Once she was inside, she locked her door and meandered over to her bed, flopping down and letting out a small sob. 

“It’s because I hurt her, isn’t it.” She mumbled, stuffing her face into a pillow. _ ‘That’s why it hurts so bad…’ _She rolled onto her back, silently staring at the ceiling, feeling a tear roll down her face, but choosing to ignore it and allow it to fall. 

-

_ “Is she alright?” _ Asked Marina, watching as Eight skipped back into the living room. The young octoling nodded with enthusiasm. _ “Yep! She said everything was okay.” _ Marina let out a hardly noticeable sigh of relief before checking her rather expensive looking watch. _ “Well, I guess we should have a few more minutes before-” _ “‘Rina, it’s time to go.” Pearl stood up, stretching. “Couch is as hard as a rock…” She mumbled. Marina looked to Eight, an apologetic expression on her face. _ “I guess we _ should _ go…” _

_ “Aww,” _ Whined Eight. Marina smiled, fiddling with her tentacles. _ “Don’t worry, we’ll come back again sometime this week-if you ever miss us, just tell Three. She’ll let you call us, alright?” _Eight nodded, giving Marina one last hug. 

“You know, Mar,” Interrupted Pearl, a mischievous smirk on her face. “You’d make a great mom.” The octoling’s face became flush with ink. “I-I uh… um… Pearlie!” She fumbled for words as the inkling laughed, playfully punching her in the arm. “I’m just kiddin’, you know I _ hate _kids.” Marina nodded, moving away from Eight and towards the door, Pearl in tow. “Bye, Eight! Make sure to tell Three we left then, okay?” The octoling nodded, sitting down on the floor as the idols made their exit. 

She sat there for a moment, not really knowing what to do next. _ ‘What now?’ _She thought. The girl looked to the small television positioned in the corner of the room. Marina had told her what it was, but not how to use it. She slid over to the TV, examining the screen and the buttons set around it. Its exterior was a light grey, with the exception of the screen itself being black. She pressed the largest of the buttons, making the device spring to life. The screen suddenly illuminated, showing some inklings talking to one another around a table. Eight then pressed the next button, turning the volume up a smidge. 

She then pressed the next, turning it down once again. The octoling hummed softly in understanding before pressing the next, ejecting a tray from the TV. She slid back in surprise before lightly tapping the tray, making it slowly retract back into the TV. _ “That’s… odd.” _ She whispered before sliding herself back up to the TV. Maybe that was enough button pressing for now.

Okay maybe just _ one _more…

The TV’s audio exploded into loud static, causing Eight to throw her hands up and over her ears. Not wanting to disturb Three-wherever the squid was-she rapidly pressed the button over and over before landing on a brand new channel. The uncovered her other ear, listening to the new audio. It sounded almost floaty. The picture showed a bunch of rectangles, some being occupied and some not. It showed the date, time, and… “Wii”? _ “What’s a _ Wii _ ?” _She asked herself before pressing the button once again, leaving her with more static. Eight immediately hit the power button, turning the display off entirely. 

Okay, definitely enough button pressing.

She looked underneath the TV, where she found many more cubes and rectangles-some white, and some black. One in particular, however, caught her eye. It was purple and in the shape of a cube-it almost seemed familiar… She shrugged it off after a while of racking her brain for answers and coming up short. “Oh well,” She muttered, looking beside the TV. There sat a tall rack filled with even more slim rectangles with inklish written on the sides-okay, what is with all these rectangles? She grabbed one, looking it over. The entire rectangle was yellow except for some black bits. There were some words written in inklish that she couldn’t quite understand, along with an inkling in a yellow jumpsuit wielding a sword of sorts. She put the box back and looked at another. This one was white with a crazed looking inkling in ANOTHER COD DAMN RECTANGLE-okay she was done.

She put the white box back before sitting on the couch once again. Maybe Pearl was right, this couch _ was _ kinda hard… Eight looked down the hallway, seeing that the door Three had gone into was wide open. She was puzzled. So… then… where was Three? She got up, not before noticing the third door at the end of the hallway. The girl hummed curiously, creeping over to the mysterious door with little to no regard to the inkling’s privacy. _ “Door first, then Three.” _She whispered to herself, extending a hand out to place on the doorknob. She took a deep breath, unsure as to what she’d find in there. 

She slowly creaked opened the door, peeking inside. Oh. Really? That’s all? It was just Three’s dirty old cape hanging up in a small closet, along with some other agent gear-like the hero shot! She felt her smile begin to falter a little, thinking about what that weapon had been used for. Before she could let her thoughts get to her, however, she silently shut the closet door and whipped herself around to face the bathroom door. It was completely empty. She turned around once more, positioning herself before Three’s bedroom door. For some reason, she felt like she was intruding in on Three’s personal space. Well, she _ did _ just look in her closet without permission, after all. 

She knocked on Three’s door, thinking it was the least she could do after snooping around. “Three? Are you okay?” She asked, concerned she might have gotten sick. After all, she did say something about pancakes and getting sick earlier… maybe she had eaten too fast. “Eight…” Came her voice, hushed and gravelly. Uh oh. She doesn’t sound too good. “Can I come in? Please?” She requested, her hand on the doorknob. “N-not now.” She sounded almost… scared? “What is the matter?” The octoling inquired, ready to open the door if something felt really wrong. 

“Nothing.” Three stated, clearing her voice of any emotion. “Then you do not mind me coming in?” She twisted the knob a little, ready to make her entrance any moment now. “Don’t. Don’t come in.” The inkling’s voice was a little closer now, sounding a little intimidating as well. “Are you sick?” She asked. Three knew that Eight had every good intention in the world-it just seemed like that was her character at this point. Curious and well mannered… Fuck she was supposed to show her around today, wasn’t she? The inkling looked at her phone, displaying the time of 3:28 in the afternoon. “I’m not sick.” She replied, sitting down against the wall near her door. “What is the matter then? Can you please state to me?” Eight’s voice was soft… and you’d think after all these years Three would know better than to trust someone just because of their tone of voice but… 

“Apparently I was mind controlled and tried to kill you a second time. And it’s fucking me up. There.” She rose to her feet and opened the door, revealing a startled looking Eight. “Now let’s go. I wanted to show you around the city.” She walked out, leaving the octoling standing by the door to comprehend what she was told. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed in her moment of realization. “It is very much okay.” Eight beamed. _ ‘Damn, she’s speaking a lot better now-is inklish_ really that_ easy to pick up? Wait, I’m missing the point here.’ _ Three shook herself from her thoughts, grabbing a coat off of the rack beside the front door. “Well-it’s a lot different than me trying to… ya know… during agent work. I couldn’t control myself-” She was cut off by Eight, whose expression grew even softer as a means of comforting the other agent. “Yes. That is why it is okay.” The octoling walked over to Three, who threw her the coat she had picked up. “Whatever, just… put that on. It’s a little cold out.” Eight nodded, slipping on the jacket. The inside was soft and fluffy-why weren’t octarian clothes this soft? Three then handed her a pair of slip on shoes, which the octoling gratefully took and slipped on.

She right then and there decided that she will never wear heels again unless they are mandatory. “Alright,” sighed Three, twirling her keys on her finger and stuffing a leather rectangle into her pocket. “Let’s go.” 

-

“So, Marie,” Callie began as they walked back to their car. “What did you think of Delilah?” The green cuttlefish looked confused. “You mean Dedf1sh? I mean, their music is nice. Don’t know much about them personally, though. Can’t make that decision yet. Their skin though… it’s a little odd. I’ll have to ask grandpa.” Although that was just about the answer Callie was expecting, that still didn’t stop her from letting out a small huff. 

Marie groaned. “What now?” She asked, annoyance seeping into her voice. “Well _ I _ think they’re cool.” Callie retorted as Marie rolled her eyes. “Someday being such an extrovert will get you in trouble…” The cuttlefish hastily got into the car, her cousin following and getting into the passenger’s side. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Callie scoffed as Marie started up the car.

“What I mean is that you’ll probably… oh I don’t know… get kidnapped.” She snickered. It took Callie a moment to process exactly what she meant, but once she did, she was mad. “Oh-oh I _ hate _ you! You’re so mean! What the shell?” Marie’s laughter only got louder. “Making fun of you is just way too irresistible.” She said, backing the car out of the parking space and driving out into the road. “Well you better _ start _resisting it!” She barked. “Well, you couldn’t resist getting brainwashed, so how can I resist making fun of you?” Callie felt her ink boil as Marie began to laugh once again. “You’re a horrible cousin…” She mumbled, crossing her arms and staring out the window. “And you’re a horrible villain. I think we’re even.” Marie ceased her laughter and shifted her focus to the road in front of her.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Callie whispered.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know how often I'm gonna be updating tbh. it's a miracle I even am as often as i dooooooo!
> 
> also i just rlly wanted to write some playful banter between callie and marie i know it goes nowhere but uh dont kill me


	6. Don't you love the sky?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three and Eight go on an adventure with a rather wholesome ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all of your kind comments and support! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

“What is that?” Eight asked, pointing to a bunch of purple flowers. “They’re flowers. Violets, I think.” The curious octoling walked up to the plants, crouching down to gently touch them. 

It had been at least 50 minutes since they left, and they were hardly a mile away from the apartment building. 

“Ooh, is this a flower, too?” She asked, holding a brightly colored object up to Three’s face. “No, that’s-” She realized what it was and quickly backed away from the octoling. “G-get that thing away from me!” The inkling screamed. Eight cocked her head to the side, looking at the butterfly resting in the palms of her hands. “What is it?” She questioned again, gingerly. 

“A butterfly-just put it down!” She yelled again, beginning to walk away. “Let’s at least _ try _ and catch a taxi.” Eight looked at the butterfly once more, wondering why it freaked out Three so much. She gently let it down on the bunch of flowers before running off to catch up with her friend.

They walked in silence for a while, the octoling scanning her surroundings for new sights to take note of. But her mind eventually went back to thinking about that butterfly… _ ‘Why was Three so scared of it?’ _ She asked herself, looking at the inkling beside her. Was it good to pry for information? Was the butterfly dangerous? She looked at her hands, trying to see if any damage had been done. _ ‘I don’t see anything…’ _She sighed, figuring that she had to ask.

“Are butterfly dangerous?” She questioned. Three looked a little startled by the question, her face flushed. “I-uh-um…” The inkling stammered. “Do they hurt you?” Eight followed up. “Well-not exactly-they’re just…” Three looked hesitant to answer, hanging her head in embarrassment. “They scare me.” She whispered, avoiding any eye contact with Eight.

The octoling was puzzled. “They are not scary?” She probed, making Three sigh. “Well, to me they are-and to other people too.” The inkling halted, causing Eight to stop as well. “I see.” She nodded in understanding. “Just, don’t tell anyone, okay?” Three asked, urgency in her voice. “Especially not Marie.” She whispered. 

“Who is Marie?” Eight asked, making Three groan. “She-Squid Sisters! I work with them? I told you, right?” The octoling shook her head, even _ more _confused than she was before. Three face palmed, wanting to scream in frustration. “Cod damnit.” 

-

“Okay,” Three sighed, leading Eight around a corner and into a brightly colored and bustling area. “This is the square.” The inkling watched as Eight’s eyes lit up, a wide smile appearing on her face. “It’s even lovelier from the ground!” She exclaimed, excitedly jumping as she took in the sight. “Let us go and see!” She blurted out, tugging on Three’s sleeve. She obliged, letting the octoling drag her into the middle of the square. There were inklings-and octolings-walking about, some carrying weapons and others window shopping. Three became a little more alert after taking notice of the cephalopods holding weaponry, watching Eight to ensure she was comfortable. 

“What’s over here?” Eight mumbled, dragging the inkling towards the various apparel shops. Three stayed silent, feeling a bit self conscious being surrounded by so many people. The pair made their way over to the hats shop, stopping so Eight could look through the window at the various accessories inside. 

“Do you w-want to go in?” Three muttered, keeping her voice low. Eight nodded excitedly, taking the inkling’s hand and moving towards the door. Three felt her face heat up at the action, following the girl inside. The interior was warm and welcoming, mostly composed of soft browns and wood, accompanied by plenty of vibrant colors. The shopkeeper welcomed them before attending to another customer. The octoling browsed through the various pieces of gear as Three stood close by, surveying her surroundings. _ ‘Being in here makes me realize how cold it is outside… jeez.’ _She thought, looking down at her hand that was interlocked with Eight’s. The inkling felt her face grow hot once again, slightly tightening her grip. 

“Look!” Eight exclaimed, showing Three a small black bandana with her open hand. Three nodded. “It’s… cute.” She muttered. The octoling made a sound of agreement, examining the item. A few moments passed of Eight just looking at the bandana before Three offered to buy it for her. “Really? Oh, thank you!” She wrapped the inkling into a brief hug, letting go of her hand and giving her the cloth. Three took it and went up to the counter, missing the warmth of the octoling’s hand. Eight stayed with the merchandise, looking out the window at the square. The bright lights intrigued her, and she was excited to see the rest of the area. She felt a small pain in her stomach, making her realize how hungry she was. Eight looked over at the inkling who was currently paying for the bandana.

She stared out the window again, studying the inklings outside… except… an octoling? She ran over to the window to get a better look, and sure enough, there was another octoling right outside. Eight felt a light tap on her shoulder, causing her to lose focus on the octoling and look to her left. “Here,” It was Three, and she was handing her a small paper bag. Eight nodded gratefully, taking it from the inkling. “Thank you so much!” She then pointed outside, showing Three the other octoling who was outside. “Look, it is another octoling!” She exclaimed. The inkling smiled, taking note of the roller she was carrying on her shoulder. 

“You know,” Said Three, her voice only slightly above a whisper. “A lot of inklings and octolings are here for turfing.” Eight looked puzzled. “What is turfing?” She questioned. The duo began to walk out of the store as Three explained. “It’s when two teams of four face off to see who can ink the most ground.” The octoling nodded in understanding. “Is it here?” She asked. “Well-yeah, kinda. You sign up for it here, but you do it a little farther away.” Eight nodded again, remembering what she was going to ask earlier. “Can we eat? I am hungry.” Three lit up, taking the octoling’s hand into hers to ensure she wouldn’t get lost. “I know a great place to eat-follow me!” She exclaimed, running off as Eight followed along, wondering what turfing was like. 

-

Eight ravenously downed her drink and tore apart the tempura shrimp hot dog in a matter of minutes-a true testament to how starving she really was. “Wow,” Breathed Three, shocked as she had_ hardly _touched her own food. “You really were hungry.” She giggled under her breath as the octoling finished off her food. “It’s so good!” She exclaimed, her mouth still stuffed. The inkling laughed again, a little louder this time. Eight swallowed, staring Three dead in the eyes.

“Wh-what?” She asked after a moment of silence between the two. “Your laugh.” Was all the octoling said. “What about it..?” Three hesitated, unsure if she had done something wrong, or possibly have offended her. “It is pretty.” Three’s face became hot with ink. “Th-thank y-you…” She stammered, lowering her face so that Eight couldn’t see. “You are welcome!” She exclaimed, happily as ever.

“My, my! On a date already?” Came a condescending voice.

_ ‘Oh cod.’ _ She thought.

‘Anyone _ but her.’ _

“No, Four.” Three sighed. “I’m showing her around.” She took another bite of her meal. “Who is that?” Eight wondered. “I’m Four. _ Agent _ Four. Nice to finally meet you, Eight.” The inkling rested her dualies on the table, extending a hand that Eight happily shook. Her tentacles were much shorter than Three’s, the octoling noticed. “What are you doing here?” Three demanded. “Calm down, Cod. I’m just meeting up with some _ friends _ to play Rainmaker with.” The way she said ‘friends’ was so completely condescending-Three just wanted to sucker punch her right there. “Speaking of-I’m probably gonna miss them if I don’t get going.” She picked her dualies up off of the table and began to head off. “See you later, _ Hannah!” _Three gripped her cup so tightly that the lid popped off and fell onto the ground. 

Eight tilted her head to the side, reaching down to pick up the fallen garbage. “Hannah?” She questioned. “_ Never _ call me that.” The inkling growled, ripping the lid from the octoling’s hand. “I’m sorry.” She apologized. The inkling’s stoic gaze turned into one of remorse. “No, it’s okay. I’m sorry I lashed out.” Three mumbled, sulking back into the chair and staring at her no longer appetizing meal. Cod-why did she have to go and do that? Why did Four have to tease her like that-that little shit! Her hands began to clench themselves into fists of anger and hatred-she just wanted to punch someone right then and there-beat _ anyone _into an inky mess-oh. 

She felt Eight’s warm hands rest upon hers, a tender expression on the octoling’s face. “Hey, it’s alright! We can just enjoy the evening.” The inkling felt her fists return to their normal relaxed state. “Alright.” Three concluded. “How about we, uh, maybe check out…” She sighed in defeat, not exactly wanting to be in public any longer. “How about we go back home?” She voiced. Eight blissfully nodded. “Sure!” She chirped, standing up. Three wrapped up her food and stuck it in the brown paper bag it had come with, as well as grabbing her near empty cup in her free hand, along with Eight’s trash, and took it over to the trash can, throwing it away. “Okay, let’s go.”

-

The walk (and drive) back to the apartment was rather uneventful. Though, the two did have some pleasant conversation along the way. “What are those?” Eight asked, pointing to the sky. “They’re the stars.” Three responded, feeling a chill run down her back. It was pretty cold, in all honesty. “And the big one is, too?” The inkling shook her head ‘no’. “That’s the moon.” She stated. “Ooh. It is pretty.” Three nodded in agreement. “I used to look at it all the time when I was a kid. It always made me feel a little better.” Out of the corner of her eye, the inkling saw Eight smile. If she was being entirely truthful-the octoling’s smile was one of the best she had ever seen. It was so soft, filled with great child-like wonder and purity. She wished she could have a smile like that-but that was besides the point. ‘_ Her face is quite lovely as well-okay, Three. That’s enough.’ _ She thought.

Soon enough, Eight’s hand was clutched around Three’s once again. Her hands were so warm-unlike the inkling’s own. They walked up the flight of stairs to the apartment, Three ahead of Eight, guiding her along. Once there, though, the inkling noticed something strange. Letting go of the other’s hand, she picked up a small brown parcel with a letter attached to the top, with ‘For Agent Eight’ written on the card. _ ‘That’s … so weird.’ _She took her keys out of her pocket, letting Eight inside as she tucked the package under one arm.

“What is that?” Wondered the octoling, pointing to the parcel. “I… don’t know.” She mumbled, throwing it onto the table. Whatever it was, it seemed pretty plush. “Whatever it is-it’s for you-but don’t open it, I want to make sure it’s safe, first.” Eight nodded, sitting down and staring at the package in front of her. Three opened her fridge, shoving the leftover food inside for later, then grabbing a pair of scissors from a rather messy drawer. The inkling sat down next to her friend, taking the card off of the package. She opened it, the octoling beside her leaning over her shoulder to get a better look. (Though, Three didn’t think she could even read inklish yet.)

“Hello, Agent Eight!” She read aloud. Judging by the _ extremely _ neat handwriting, Three knew who the package was from. “I hope you’re enjoying yourself on the surface so far-I know you’ve been through a lot these past few weeks, and that’s precisely why I’m sending you this gift. I hope that Agent Three is showing you around and teaching you all you need to know like she’s _ supposed _ to be,” She felt some ink rush to her face after reading that. “Please give this gift as much love as I have over the years-sincerely, Cap’n Cuttlefish.” She gently slid the letter aside, her focus now on the package in front of her. 

Three began to carefully snip away the tape, making things a little easier for Eight. She then gave the octoling the package, figuring _ she _ should be the one to open it. The girl’s face lit up, excitedly tearing into it, and who could’ve guessed-it was Cuttlefish’s green track jacket. Eight held it up in awe before taking off the jacket Three had loaned her and putting on her new gift. “Look, Three!” She beamed. The inkling could _ swear _that her hearts had been running a marathon without her. “It’s so comfy!” Three let out a soft chuckle. “I hope he washed that thing first.” She mumbled under her breath. The octoling twirled and skipped in glee as the inkling sat back and watched. 

_ ‘Today wasn’t half bad.’ _She figured. 

_ ‘Not half bad at all.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a post that was like "the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one" and I am fully embracing that.
> 
> I think the next chapter is gonna be more Squid Sisters and Dedf1sh wOah  
EDIT: (i cannot guarantee this anymOre whOopS)  
i'M SorRY I haven't updated in a while school just started and i'm dying but uhh probably friday night? very very early saturday? i hope at least


	7. Can't seem to get my mind in the game-oh well!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callie has a lot on her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long! School n shit u kno?? anyway yeah this chapter might be a mess because my brain forgot how to write

Four dodge-rolled to her right, aiming her dualies at her opponent, splatting them and covering the blue ink trail they had left behind. The girl smirked, pleased with the way the match was going.  _ ‘Only 40 seconds left,’  _ She thought.  _ ‘I think we’ve got this.’ _

Well, as it turned out, they  _ didn’t _ have it, and the opposing team beat them by a landslide.

“The hell?” She grumbled, fiddling with the trigger of her gun. “What were you guys even doing?” The inkling looked over to the two cuttlefish beside her, Marie visibly just as disgruntled, and Callie looking more aloof than a pigeon. 

“Callie  _ apparently _ can’t focus. Even better is that she refuses to tell me why.” Four looked at the cuttlefish. She was waving her roller, looking off into the distance, clearly lost in thought. “Well whatever it is, she better not cost us another game. fifth one in a row, Marie.  _ Fifth one in. A. Row.” _ Marie only nodded in response, looking at her cousin a little worriedly. Cod, whatever it was, she normally would have told her by now. 

“Well,” She nudged Callie gently, grabbing her attention. “Hmm?” She hummed. “We’re going to play another match, are you going to come?” The cuttlefish nodded happily (Much to the displeasure of the two), seemingly excited for another round, although her mind still resided elsewhere. 

-

_ ‘I wonder how much the octolings like turfing…’ _

_ ‘Are they adjusting well?’ _

_ ‘I wonder, has Delilah gone turfing yet?’ _

_ ‘I wonder how they are...’ _

_ ‘Delilah is such a pretty name. I think it suits them!’ _

_ ‘What weapon would they main?’ _

“Aww, we lost again!” Callie pouted, although she couldn’t care less at this point. All she could think about was Delilah. “No thanks to you-look at your stats! Callie, I’m sorry, but, that’s pathetic.” Marie was clearly done with her unattentiveness, as was Four. “Hmm, I don’t think it’s that bad-” “You were splatted thirteen times. That’s… how? What’s going on with you? You’re usually on top of shit when it comes to turf.” Marie looked almost disappointed in her, and Callie felt herself break out into a nervous sweat. “Yeah, at this point we’re gonna need a new turfing buddy.” Four snickered. 

“I just think…” Callie mumbled, letting her roller almost fall out of her hands. “What-what do you think Delilah is up to? I mean, they-” Marie groaned. “All you’ve been talking about is Delilah! I thought it might have been something important this time-really, Callie?” She leaned her charger against the wall, rubbing her temples. Four seemed confused, but all Callie wanted to do was avoid any and all conversation at this point-”Is that the Squid Sisters!?” Screamed an inkling in the distance. “Oh Cod-I’ll see you two later.” Four grabbed her dualies and began to sprint away, leaving the two to deal with the impending doom before them. 

-

Three tossed and turned in bed, taking off her covers and them throwing them back on-hot, then cold, then hot, then cold. Rise and repeat. She groaned, staring up at the ceiling.  _ ‘On a date already?’  _ That sickening voice echoed in her head, sending her into a flurry of emotions each time.  _ ‘No-I just fucking met her. And how in the everloving mother-of-fuck did you know I was a lesbian, you little creep! What’s wrong with you?’  _ She wanted to scream at Four so badly-just splat her until her entire body is sore and aching from respawning so many times-knock knock.

“What.” She slurred, pulling off her covers. “I had a bad dream.” Came Eight’s muffled voice. “Come in.” The inkling rolled to the other side of the bed, leaving room for the octoling who wasted no time in getting into bed with her. Three continued to look at the wall, trying to ignore the other’s presence. “The dream was about you.” Eight whispered after a long silence. “Oh?” The inkling whispered back. 

“I got a gold toothpick. From the locker.” Three listened to the octoling’s soft voice. If voices had colors, hers would be a warm pastel pink-or maybe even orange. Her voice just sounded soft and warm-unlike how raspy Three thought her own was. Eight’s voice sounded like how autumn felt. You know, cuddled up on the couch with a warm blanket and some popcorn, watching a cutesy kids movie for the hell of it. Or maybe just sitting inside and watching the snow fall in the midst of winter, the flakes illuminated only by the streetlights outside. How she loved those days-those simple things that gave her comfort and happiness for no particular reason. “A toothpick?” She breathed, turning herself onto her back. “Why a toothpick?” 

“Don’t know. A little worthless for all I went through to get it.” Three nodded in agreement, not really knowing what she had meant by all she had gone through, but went with it nonetheless. “What did you do with it?” The inkling questioned. “I just put it in my tentacles. It looked nice with them up.” Three nodded, now looking over at the octoling. Huh, she was wearing Cuttlefish’s jacket. “So, why was this dream bad?” Eight closed her eyes. “I fought you, but I won. You’re very strong, Three.” “Well-th-thanks-but that’s only dream me.” The octoling shook her head. “It did seem like the real you. Dreams are funny.” Three looked back up at the ceiling, closing her eyes and pulling on the covers. “That they are.”

-

“Thanks for ditching us.” Marie mumbled, dragging her charger behind her. “You’re very welcome!” Chirped Four, skipping ahead of the now even  _ more _ exhausted Squid Sisters. “So, will you tell me who this ‘Delilah’ is now?” Callie felt her face heat up, readjusting the roller of her shoulder. “A frie-” “A business partner. Seriously, Callie, you hardly know them.” Marie interjected. “I know their  _ name. _ That has to at least count for something!” She yelled, watching as Four began to snicker under her breath. “That counts for you two being acquaintances. Focus on our career first,  _ then _ befriending them. Don’t scare them away like you did the last poor girl.” The cuttlefish shook her head.

“I  _ did not _ scare her away! She-uh-just didn’t want to-she-uh…” Callie was at a loss for words, Marie had caught her there. “Exactly.” The other mumbled, fidgeting with the keys in her pocket. “Now let's just get home.” Callie nodded.

“You scared someone  _ away _ , Callie?” Four laughed. “You don’t wanna know how much I despise you.” She grumbled. “Aww, don’t forget that I saved you!” The inkling cooed. “I could have done it by myself!” She retorted. “You were  _ brainwashed!”  _ At this point, Four was full on laughing, and Callie was completely done with her snarky remarks-no matter how truthful they were. Thus, she didn’t talk for the rest of their walk.

-

_ ‘Four is so rude.’  _ She thought as she layed in bed, aimlessly scrolling through her Squidstagram feed.  _ ‘Seriously, she has  _ no  _ manners.’  _ Callie kept double tapping and scrolling on her phone.  _ ‘Is she that rude to Marie, too? What does she even see in her…’  _ The cuttlefish closed out of that app and went onto another and began to do more of the same thing, scrolling and liking posts without any thought being put into it.  _ ‘She should write in her little stalker journal how rude that squid is! Or…’  _ Callie turned off her phone, resting it on her nightstand. “I’m just gonna have to do it myself!” She whispered, silently marching out of her room and into Marie’s.

She crept inside, knowing exactly where she had to go. Callie had snooped through her journals before, so this wasn’t anything new. Hell, she’s even written notes in them before, but Marie never seemed to take notice. Either that or she just didn’t want to bring it up. Silently opening the bottom drawer of her cousin’s dresser, she was met with a  _ new _ journal. She picked it up, investigating its exterior. A simple black notebook with an old date written on the front with a metallic silver marker. She smirked, tucking the notebook under her arm and grabbing the other journal she had originally came in for-Marie’s Agent Four Factopedia. She slid the drawer closed and silently slunk out, tiptoeing to her room, notebooks in tow.

Once back in her own room, she flicked on her bedside lamp, flopped onto her bed, and opened the black notebook, ready for some brand new juicy secrets.

And oh, she was  _ not _ disappointed.

Callie read about how much Marie  _ adored  _ Agent Four-nothing new-and how much she longed for them to one day become something more than just friends. The cuttlefish snickered at just how sappy her cousin could be when no one was looking. Much of the same for quite a decent chunk of the journal, along with some other agent-y stuff Callie could care less about in that moment. All was fun and games, though, before she reached a page more or less about how the other felt about Callie’s sudden infatuation with Delilah. 

She felt her smile falter as she read, noting how Marie thought it was “weird” how she “suddenly just fell in love or something” with the octoling. Callie flipped the page, then seeing more of her cousin gushing over how ‘Agent Four did this!’ and ‘Agent Four did that!’. At this point, it was almost making Callie feel sick with some sort of anger-Marie could obsess all she wanted over some snarky loud mouthed inkling-but the  _ second  _ Callie shows remote interest in  _ anybody _ , it’s suddenly annoying? 

Oh, she had  _ lots  _ to say-and say lots she did in the form of a lengthy rant written on an empty page inside of the journal. How dare she-her own cousin! The person she could trust with her actual  _ life! _ It was all too infuriating-especially at 2 AM after dealing with a hoard of rabid fans earlier that day. She finished writing, leaving things off on a rather sarcastic and almost spiteful note. She shut the notebook, tossing it to the side as she opened the factopedia, quickly scribbling down a note about how admittedly annoying and rude the inkling was. Callie swiftly finished up, grabbing the two notebooks and not so discreetly sneaking into Marie’s room and putting them back where she had found them. Luckily, though, Marie was quite the heavy sleeper. 

Angrily marching back to her room, the cuttlefish switched off her lamp and lied down once again, picking up her phone and opening Squidstagram doing the same as she had done not so long ago. Scroll, like, repeat without giving it any thought. 

_ ‘Well today sucked,’  _ She thought, before feeling her hearts skip a beat as she read a notification.

_ “Hello, it’s Delilah! Is this Callie?”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRy if that was,,,, short and dumb,,,, i'm tired its late gAH-


	8. I don't think I like dreaming anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three and Eight have DREAMS!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its short but uh,,, its here

_ Three tossed in bed, not able to stop her mind from racing. Agent Eight this and Agent Eight that. It was growing tiring-not to mention embarrassing. The inkling looked beside her at the aforementioned octoling, watching her peacefully sleep. She looked so content, so beautiful-okay. Really, that’s enough, Three. She’s your friend. Your guest. Not your crush of the month.  _

_ Though even with that being said, the inkling couldn’t help but inch a little closer. The bed felt like it had no beginning, nor an ending, making her feel all the more awkward about invading Eight’s personal space.  _ ‘What am I doing, oh cod.’ _ She thought, staring at the octoling’s perfect features.  _ ‘Stop thinking like this. You’re Agent-fucking-Three for crying out loud-you’re above this. You’re supposed to have, like, no emotions, right? So quit feeling shit.’  _ She looked back at her friend, whose face now seemed closer to hers than it ever was before.  _

‘Oh no.’ _ She felt her face inch slightly closer.  _

‘Stop this-no-I don’t like this.’  _ She really didn’t have any control over herself.  _ ‘Fuck,’  _ Their faces only got closer, inch by inch, ready to-hey, the hell is that? _

_ A loud beeping, albeit muffled, came from afar. The inkling shot up, looking for the source over a vast horizon of mattress and comforter. Cod, it didn’t end. She rose to her feet, looking beside herself at where the octoling has been. She was now gone, and Three was in a panic. “E-Eight?” She yelled, running to where the beeping was seemingly coming from.  _

_ “Here,” Came her voice, equally as muffled but much quieter. “Where-where are you?” Three questioned again, stopping in her tracks.  _

_ “I am here, Three.” She said again. The agent only groaned as the noise got louder.  _

_ Beep beep beep beep.  _

_ Beep beep beep beep.  _

_ Beep beep beep beep.  _

-

“Eight…” Three mumbled again. “I’m right here!” The octoling exclaimed. “Turn off the sound!!! Am tired!” She began to shake the inkling, who finally opened her eyes. “Off, off, off!” Eight yelled. Three wore a look of pure confusion before realizing it was her alarm clock that was making the incessant noise. She hit it, turning it off, and closed her eyes once again. Eight tilted her head, staring at the clock. 

“Why’d it do that?” She wondered, looking at the half-asleep Three laying next to her. The inkling half opened one eye, and mumbled, “Its my alarm from when I had to do agent stuff. Don’t gotta right now, though...” Eight nodded, only half understanding what she really meant. “Well, I am tired, still.” Yawned the octoling, pulling the covers back up. Three yawned as well. Damn, those things really were contagious. She looked over at her clock which read 6:33 AM. She did  _ not  _ miss getting up this damn early. It was  _ way  _ too early. She let herself slip back down into the warmth of the bed and let her mind wonder. 

_ ‘That dream was weird…’  _ Three thought as she rolled onto her side, facing the octoling.  _ ‘I wonder what you’re thinking about…’  _ She pondered, before feeling something wrap around her waist. The inkling instinctively looked down, seeing none other than the octolings arm trapping her.  _ ‘Well, here I am again.’ _ She felt her face heat up as she rolled her eyes. She stuffed her hands under her pillow and closed her eyes, letting her mind wonder once again. 

_ ‘I wonder what her birthday is… and her name, for that matter. I’m guessing she was enlisted in the military-what could her rank have been?’  _

No matter what Three did, she couldn’t silence the thoughts in her head.  _ ‘She’s honestly pretty affectionate.’  _ She thought, remembering the arm wrapped around her.  _ ‘All that hand holding yesterday… I never thought I’d be able to tolerate something like that-let alone  _ enjoy  _ it.’  _ She opened her eyes a tad, seeing the sleeping octoling beside her.  _ ‘You know, she’s kinda-ok, Three. Quit that.’  _ She scolded herself, forcing her eyes shut.  _ ‘Stop thinking and just sleep already. I know you’re tired as fuck.’  _

Although she  _ was _ extremely tired, her thoughts kept her awake for what felt like hours-but in reality, it was only about thirty minutes. She opened her eyes again, sighing in defeat and staring at the ceiling. The sun had risen by that point, and the room was filled with light, to Three’s utter dismay. She quietly groaned in defeat, pulling off the covers to get up and-FUCK.

“Oh cod damnit Eight-get your arm off me!” She whisper yelled, gently tugging at the octoling’s arm to no avail. How was this girl so damn strong? Eight’s grip on the inkling tightened, making Three groan and slip the covers back on, forcing her to stare at the boring white ceiling once again.  _ ‘My room was so much cooler when I was a teen.’  _ She reminisced.  _ ‘All those band posters ‘n shit. I miss that. Of course  _ they  _ never condoned anything I had remote interest in, but still. I was more interesting back then.’  _ She turned to look at the most interesting thing in the bedroom-her TV. It was an old CRT-old as all hell, but it got the job done. Plus, it was cheap, so, all was well in the world. 

Below that were a bunch of VHS tapes and weird stuff she had literally picked up off the ground. A weird rock that looked like a skull? Cool. That was hers now. She had clothes littering the floor-it was a miracle Eight was even able to maneuver around this shit-hole. She really had to clean up. Especially her closet. That thing was a complete wreck. The inkling glanced over at the clock, which read 7:08 AM. Yeah, that seemed about right. 

She looked at her hand which was covered in small scars from who knows what. Scars. Funny little things, weren’t they? She gently ran a finger over the scar on her face. The texture was odd and hard to explain-feeling almost like a lizard’s skin, well, it was rough, she guessed. She felt a small stinging sensation from where she had touched, but didn’t really bother to acknowledge it. Three let her fingers trail up to where the goop had met with her bangs, the affected area feeling somewhat softer than the skin around her eye.  _ ‘Weird,’ _ She tonight.  _ ‘Wonder what my eye would feel like-okay now  _ that  _ was a dumb question.’  _ She let her hand fall to her side and sighed, not knowing what to do. There she was, trapped by an octoling who refused to let her go. Well, at least she was comfortable. As comfortable as you can get in this situation, anyway. 

_ ‘I’m guessing her scar feels somewhat the same.’ _ The inkling thought before Eight decided she had enough of clinging to Three and finally let go. Three felt the nice source of warmth that was next to her leave and turned her body to face the octoling who was now positioned on her back with her mouth hung agape. She let out a chuckle, mentally noting how cute the octoling was while she slept. She finally got up from bed and dragged herself towards the kitchen to get something to eat, because if she said she wasn’t starving, that’d be the biggest lie ever told. 

-

_ Eight twirled the piece of golden metal around in her fingers as she sat on the cold floor of the station, wondering why she was back in this hellish place. She had looked for Cuttlefish not too long before to no avail, and the train itself was gone as well. All she could do was sit there and wait-even her CQ-80 was nowhere to be found, so there was no contacting anyone through that.  _

_ The ground… was it always this odd shade of purple? “Wait…” she mumbled, swiping a finger along the floor and picking up dark purple ink. “That explains it. So then that’s…” she felt a splash of enemy ink hit her back, causing her to jump out of the way and raise her weapon. “Ah-Three? Again? Really?” She questioned, confused as anything.  _

_ “You’d better believe it.” Growled Three, her left eye a glowing fluorescent aquamarine. “Well, you’re surely persistent.” The octoling scoffed, trying to find her footing. “I’m persistent? Take a good look at yourself, kid.  _ You’re  _ the one who won’t quit fighting me.” The inkling pulled the trigger of her Hero Shot, prompting Eight to dive into her ink and swim away, emerging to the right of the inkling and holding her Octo Shot to her head.  _

_ She felt tears begin to prick at her eyes. “Three, I don’t want to hurt you.” She whispered, still keeping her weapon held to the inkling’s head. Three only shrugged, maintaining her composure. “You could splat me over and over again as much as you like, but I’ll always be back.” She shot Eight a menacing glare. “There are still parts of your little  _ friend _ ” She splat out the word as if it were poison. “she can’t get rid of, you know. I’ll always exist. Whether it be here or in the real world. I’ll always continue to exist, purifying the worst of your kind-and don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’ll be purified, too.” The octoling dropped her weapon in shock and confusion. Three’s words were so oddly familiar.  _

_ “Purified? What do you-” She began to ask before feeling a sharp pain in her back, making her double over and viciously scratch at her scar, letting out small cries of pain. “You know, purified! Under  _ my  _ control, creating a perfect world together! Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me, 10,008. We’ve only been apart for such a small amount of time.” Eight looked up at Three, finally realizing what was happening. “Tartar?” She whispered, still scratching at her back. “About time you figured it out.” She smiled devilishly. “I thought we destroyed you-” She let out another cry of pain and began to scratch more, feeling the wound begin to reopen. “You can’t destroy me,” She gestured towards the glowing ink surrounding her eye. “I’m practically immortal!”  _

_ Oh, yeah. _

_ That stuff. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAA im so srry i havent updated in a while school has been gettin in the way a lot :/
> 
> hehe dream three is like bill cipher bill three Bhree cipher-


	9. I think I trust you and I wanna be best friends with you

Eight awoke with a start, confused as to where she was and how she had gotten there, but soon realized that she was only in Three’s apartment. She let out a sigh, scanning the room for the inkling, only to find she was nowhere in sight. Eight felt herself grow slightly anxious, but the feeling was immediately replaced with more confusion as she felt something wet beneath her. She got up, looking at where she had been resting, only to come face to face with a pool of bright blue ink. She let out a small gasp, looking around the room for a way to clean up or hide the mess, settling on covering up the spot with the comforter until she could tell Three. Speaking of…

Eight got up and left the room, wanting to get out of the ink-soaked shirt as quickly as possible. She peeked around the corner, spotting Three sitting on the sofa, listening to the TV and staring at her phone. The octoling slowly walked up to the inkling, feeling extremely nervous for some reason. She tapped the inkling on the shoulder, prompting her to look up. “Oh, hey, Eight. There’s a bowl of cereal for you in the-“ Three noticed the overwhelmingly large spot of blue ink on the octoling’s back and shot up, twirling the girl around. “what the-what the fuck happened? Eight-just come with me,” 

She grabbed the octoling’s hand and guided her to the bathroom, letting her sit down on the cold tile. “The hell did you do?” She asked, rummaging through the cabinet for her first aid kit. “It was my dream. You were there, maybe.” She wasn’t entirely sure how to tell her about how she dreamt she was possessed by Tartar-but she  _ was  _ certain about that being the last thing Three would have wanted to hear right then. “My back hurt so I… I scratched at it? It was painful.” Three only nodded as she spread out the contents of the first aid kit onto the floor. 

“Okay, so, uh…” The inkling stammered. “You need to-well, turn around first, and then take the shirt off.” She blushed-it was a really awkward thing to ask of someone. Eight did as she was told, letting Three get a good look at the opened wound, and damn, it wasn’t pretty, but she had seen worse. The inkling grabbed an old towel and began to clean off the ink from around the wound best she could, then grabbed a bottle of disinfectant, pouring a little onto a cotton ball. “This might sting a little,” She muttered before gently dabbing it onto the wound. She felt Eight tense up, seeing her clench her hands around the shirt in her lap. 

Finally, she took a roll of bandages and wrapped them around the octoling’s back, blushing as she did so. Eight, however, seemed completely unphased by what was happening, only focused on the ink-soaked shirt in her hands. “There,” said Three, as she began to put away what she had taken out. “are you alright?” Eight nodded, still staring at the shirt. “Are you sure? Nothing hurts? Want some painkillers?” The octoling shrugged, probably not knowing what those even  _ were _ . Three mentally face palmed, putting the small box back into the cabinet. “Alright, well, if you’re okay-“ “It’s ruined.” Eight stated, sounding like she was holding back tears. 

Three stood there confused before realizing what she meant. “Oh, it’s alright, I never wore that shirt anyway. Here, I’ll get you another.” She saw the octoling slowly nod out of the corner of her eye as she left to fetch her another shirt.  _ ‘Damn, she’s that upset? It’s just a dumb shirt…’  _ She opened the door to her room, a putrid smell filling the air. Three felt her face scrunch up, making her pull her sweater over her nose. “Fuck,” She mumbled to herself. “Must’ve gotten on the bed-why does it smell so bad?” The inkling tore the comforter off, revealing the ink to be slowly eating through her sheets. In a panic, she haphazardly ripped the layer of cloth off, throwing it on the floor. “The fuck?” Luckily, it had only gotten through the first layer of cloth. 

“That’s not normal.” She said, going over to her closet to find a couple of plastic bags to put the forever soiled sheets into.  _ ‘Marie’s gotta see this-seriously, what the fuck?’  _ She quadruple bagged the sheets, tossing them aside to take care of after she brought Eight a shirt. She quickly chose a random shirt off the rack and brought it back to the octoling, who was still stuck staring at the old shirt. “Seriously, Eight, it’s fine.” She mumbled. “Take this one.” Eight turned her head around, grabbing the shirt gently and then tugging it on. It was a little large on her, but it looked fine. Since when did Three have  _ purple  _ of all colors in her wardrobe-oh cod damnit. “Aww, Squid Sisters shirt!” Eight sang, immediately forgetting about the one she had just been mourning. 

Three nervously laughed. “Yeah, it must’ve been left here by someone-“ She was cut short by feeling Eight pull her into a hug. The inkling was confused and felt her face grow flush, but wrapped her arms around the octoling regardless, being mindful of her wound. “You are very kind, Three.” Eight whispered. “O-oh, yeah? That’s nice of you to say.” The inkling stammered, feeling Eight nod. “You’re nice…” The octoling repeated, trailing off, seemingly beginning to drift asleep. “Eight?” Three asked, looking at the girl who was nestled into the crook of her neck, only to find her eyes closed and mouth stuck in an infectiously sweet smile. Three chuckled to herself. “Back to bed it is, then.” 

-

Pearl kept flipping herself over in bed, onto her back, onto her stomach, repeat. She supposed she was worried-about Marina, that was. She hadn’t yet come to bed, which was odd, she was usually so prompt… the inkling picked up her phone and looked at the time-12:17 AM. Putting her phone back down, she slid out of bed, feeling the frigid air come into contact with her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, dragging her half asleep to the room next door. 

Knock knock.

“‘Rina?” Pearl called, feeling another chill run through her body. No reply came, leaving the inkling feeling concerned. “Marina.” She called again, her voice more firm. “Y-yes?” Came a muffled reply from within. Pearl let out a sigh of relief and rested her hand on the doorknob. “Can I come in?” She tried to hide the slight fear in her voice as well as she could, not knowing how effective it really was. “Yes.” Replied the octoling. Pearl twisted the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, revealing a distraught Marina slumped over on her turquoise office chair, staring aimlessly at her phone. The inkling sighed, walking over to the octoling and sitting on the ground in front of her.

“‘Rina, look at me.” She sighed, prompting Marina to lower her phone and look her girlfriend in the eyes. “I know what you’ve been lookin’ at- and you aren’t focused on what matters most here.” The inkling took Marina’s empty hand into her own, lightly rubbing her fingers against hers. “The people who don’t like octolings-they’re such a minority. Three even said she saw some turfin’ and walking around Inkopolis already…” She began to see a light smile form on Marina’s face-exactly what she had wanted. “Like I said, if anyone wants gives you or anyone else shit, they’re gonna have to get through  _ me  _ first!” The octoling let out a small and quiet laugh, admiring how determined Pearl truly was. “I love you, a lot. And I want nothin’ more than to see you happy.” Marina nodded, a large smile now plastered onto her face. 

  
“Now!” Exclaimed Pearl, shooting up from the ground. “I’m so fuckin’ ready to go to bed, come onnn!” She playfully tugged on Marina’s hand, prompting the octoling to giggle and rise to her feet, following her girlfriend into their shared bedroom. They both flopped onto the bed, Pearl letting out a large yawn and clapping the lights off as Marina got under the covers and began to cuddle the inkling beside her. “You’re great.” She whispered. “Orange juice is great.” Pearl whispered back, making Marina giggle. “What?” She was too tired for this. “You know, orange juice.” Marina only nodded in response. “With pulp.  _ Always _ with-” “You’re gross.” The octoling laughed, cutting Pearl off. “Go to bed, silly.” She heard the inkling sigh, yet she complied and the two finally got some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three would literally rather die than let anyone know she listens to pop music ahuindjkaheuirgv-  
anyway iM SORRY ITS BEEN SO LONG AND THIS IS SO SHORT MY LIFE IS BIG MESS VIBES but ima try & update more bc damb did u see the latest concert shit was BANGER & those outfits were too cute im gonna die callie was a fucking famicom-


	10. I don't even wanna look you in the eyes anymore, sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh its long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added chapter titles 2 all my chapterz, hell yeah!!

“The hell is this?” Marie demanded, slamming her journal down onto the kitchen table. Callie pretended to be oblivious by only shrugging her shoulders, but Marie wasn’t in the mood for games. “Like hell you don’t know-I know what your handwriting looks like, Callie.” The other cuttlefish groaned, putting down her phone and making eye contact with her cousin. “Fine. I wrote it. Only because you can’t see how much of a complete ass you and Jamie can be!” Marie felt a chuckle slip from her lips. “Finally using her name? Never thought the day would come where I’d hear-” She was cut off by Callie’s sudden outburst. “Oh quit it with your smart ass remarks already!” The two sat in silence for a minute or two before Marie found the courage to break the tension.

“Okay, I know what this is  _ really _ about.” She said in the most matter-of-fact voice the idol could muster. Callie only shook her head in denial once again. “No you don’t.” Marie wanted to scream at that point-cod she could be difficult. “I obviously do-and you do, too! Quit acting like you know nothing-you fucking know whats happening! For the last few days it's been is Delilah this, Dedf1sh that-and I’m so sick of it! Don’t you care about our career?” There was another period of silence between the two of them, which only made Marie grow more aggravated as each second meticulously ticked by. “I just-I don’t know how to feel anymore.” Marie stated before scooping up her journal and beginning to walk away. “Don’t leave-you are  _ not  _ leaving before we settle this.” Callie demanded, glaring at Marie. “Settle what? What is there to be settled?” She snapped, stopping and turning back around to face her cousin. “What the hell do you have against me actually being interested in someone?” Marie groaned. “You always do this. You want to be friends with whoever we’re working with, and that’d be fine if you didn’t get so attached that you ruin-” Callie was  _ not _ in the mood for a lecture. “I do  _ not _ ruin  _ anything _ .” She hissed. “Well, then tell me why-”

“ _ Tell you why what _ ?” Callie growled, clenching her fists in fury, not even able to look her cousin in the eye. “Let’s just drop this-“ “You  _ never _ want to let me do _ anything! _ ” She slammed her fist against the wall, leaving a large impression. Marie looked at the cuttlefish with shock written all over her face, holding her tongue. “Why can’t you let me do anything? I’m not a child...” Marie took a step back, solemnly staring at her cousin who now had tears in her eyes and ink running down her arm. Callie sniffled. “Why don’t you just go.” She choked out, staring at the ground. Marie let out a light laugh of disbelief. “I’m not just going to leave you like-” “Just get the _ fuck _ out of here.” Callie stated. The girl stared at her cousin before resting her journal back down onto the table and grabbing her hoodie. “Are you-” “ _ Go. _ ”

-

Marie entered the exited the elevator, then the building itself and left out into the cold outdoors. Well, at least it  _ felt  _ cold. She didn’t know where to go. Her phone was almost dead, and so was her relationship with Callie. All she could think about was that dent in the wall and the tears in Callie’s joyless eyes-oh Cod she fucked up big time. She  _ really _ fucked up big time. As she began to feel tears form in the corners of her eyes, she also felt her phone begin to buzz. The cuttlefish ripped it out of her pocket, praying for it to be Callie just begging for her to come back-oh. Well, it was only Three. Figuring it was better than no one Marie gathered herself before pressing answer.

“Hel-” She cleared her throat. Cod her voice sounded hoarse. “Hello?” She said softly. “Yeah, uh, Marie? I’ve got multiple problems.” The agent’s voice came over the phone. “So do we all…” She trailed off. “Mhm. Anyway, I was hoping I could swing around the outpost and  _ hopefully  _ find some answers.” Answers? The hell did she get herself into? “Answers to wha-” “Trust me, it’ll be easier if I just tell you in person.” This was… rather unlike Three, but whatever, she couldn’t care any less at this point. “I’ll be there in a few. Drop by whenever.” She sighed. “Sounds good to me. See ya.” Three said before she hung up. Marie put her phone back into her pocket after checking her notifications and began the rather long trek towards Tentakeel Outpost.

-

When Eight finally woke up, she quickly discovered that one, she was laying on an extremely uncomfortable couch, two, she was all alone, and three, her back felt like it was on  _ fire _ . The octoling winced before bringing a hand to her back, tenderly touching the bandaged wound. Oh cod-it hurt to even brush her finger up against it. She pulled her hand away and slowly sat up, getting a good look at the TV and mass of other rectangles in front of her. By far, rectangles were her least favorite shape. Overused. Boo rectangles. Eight looked around for a minute, wondering what to do before spotting the bowl of cereal that was left on the table. She stood up and sluggishly walked towards it, staring at it once she finally got to it. 

She picked up the spoon and shoveled some of the admittedly stale cereal into her mouth, finding that it was… uncomfortably warm. That didn’t seem right. She put the spoon back in and gently picked up the bowl, carrying it to the counter. She had heard something about an oven? What it was, she didn’t fully know, but she knew it made things warm. That’s what it needed to be! Warm! She opened the fridge. Nope. Cold. She then opened the  _ actual  _ oven. No, this just looked like storage for… whatever was in there. She finally opened the microwave door.  _ “This looks right…” _ Eight picked up the bowl once again and placed it inside, and then closed the door.  _ “Now I wait.”  _ She whispered, staring at the box.

6 minutes must have gone by before she took the bowl out and ate another spoonful, only to find it was exactly the same temperature.  _ “Damn,”  _ The octoling mumbled.  _ “Maybe these numbers…?”  _ She put the bowl back inside, shut the door, and this time hit 3 on the microwave. It began to whir, making Eight slightly jump. Nonetheless, she stared at the bowl inside attentively-was that supposed to happen? The spoon began to spark- _ ”F-fire!”  _ She screamed before yanking open the microwave’s door with enough force that it crashed onto the floor, making glass and cereal scatter all across the tile. She stood in silence, staring at the mess before sighing in relief.  _ “Well, it’s not on fire…”  _ She mumbled, unsure of what to do next. Maybe she should wait for Three… yeah. And then apologize. Profusely. Yeah. She walked back over to the couch, being mindful of her wound as she sat down on the sofa. Damn, it still burned. Nonetheless, the girl hummed to herself and tapped her clawed fingers on her thighs, waiting for when Three would return.

-

Marie couldn’t stop checking her phone. Between waiting for Three and for Callie to see her lengthy apology text, she just couldn’t stop turning it on and off every minute, tearing it out of her pocket whenever it buzzed, only for it to show something meaningless. She felt regret-genuine regret-she didn’t care if Callie fucked up their career at this point. What would it matter if she was unhappy? If they both were? It wouldn’t hold any meaning. They’d both longed for stardom for as long as they could both remember. It couldn’t end like this. 

She looked over to her left, half expecting to see Callie sitting there and ready to spark up a conversation-but instead she was met only with the pillow Callie always sat on and her parasol. It was so delicate, a beautiful object crafted specifically for the cuttlefish-the handle seemingly molded to perfectly fit in her hand and the symbol embellished on top that held almost too much meaning. It was beautiful. One of the best gifts she had ever received. It had been through a lot, too. Between Four constantly trying to ink her and-”Ahem.” Came a low and gruff voice. Oh, great. This is why she dreaded even coming here. “What do you want.” She growled, not in the mood for Octavio’s shenanigans. “Release from this humiliating prison would be nice-there’s not much tentacle room in here.” Marie rolled her eyes. Yeah, the usual. “Is that all?” She questioned, rubbing circles into her temple. 

“Where’s the other one?” He asked. “Not here.” She replied flatly, glaring ahead at the grate instead of the Octarian. “That’s odd. You’re usually-” “Just be quiet.” When she said that she hated Octavio, she actually meant that she completely  _ despised  _ the guy. Not only was he annoying, but he _ literally brainwashed her cousin.  _ “Come on, just let me out, Marie! It’s so boring in here! I’m forced to stare at the same thing every damn day!” He exclaimed. “You’re not being  _ forced  _ to look at  _ anything _ .” She spat, checking her phone once more.  _ ‘How am I such an idiot…’  _ She scolded herself before hearing Octavio angrily bang on the glass, causing her to pick up her charger and aim it at the octopus. “Quit it, would you!” She yelled, finger on the trigger, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Octavio only rolled his eyes and turned away from the girl. In that moment, though, Three finally appeared with a plastic bag in hand. Marie lowered her weapon and waved her over. The squid practically ran towards her, shoving the bag into her face. 

“Quick, look at it. It’s burning a hole through the bags.” Three panted. Marie was hardly recognizable with her tentacles out of her signature bow, so much so that she wondered if the girl before her was really just an imposter. The cuttlefish took the bag, and indeed there was a small hole beginning to form on the bottom. “So… what is this?” She asked. “B-basically, Eight has this huge scar on her back-from being blown up with ink or something? And it started bleeding and that’s what was on the bed sheets…” The inkling explained. Marie placed the bag on the ground and sat down to examine it, her mind still flooded with questions. Three sat as well as the cuttlefish picked up the sheet and saw various small holes in it, and then one huge one with a turquoise ink surrounding it. It hardly looked like ink-more like a sludge. Despite it obviously being dangerous, Marie poked it anyway. 

The ink felt like pins and needles against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. “That feels… so weird.” She muttered, retracting her hand and putting the sheet back inside the bag. “I’ll show gramps-is this from that metro?” She questioned, prompting Three to nod. She looked up at the inkling, taking in her slightly worried expression. Something was off-Three was looking a lot more stressed than usual. She almost seemed to be in pain and- “And your… eye? Oh cod, are you alright? The hell happened down there?” She yelled, standing up and dragging the poor inkling along with her. “D-did Captain really not tell you…?” Three muttered, mostly shocked by Marie’s sudden movements and the visible stress on the cuttlefish’s face. “He hardly told me anything… just something about a blender and a phone-please just tell me what the fuck happened.” Marie sighed, forgetting about the sheet entirely. “Well, I don’t remember all of it, honestly. The one who could tell you the most would probably be Cuttlefish-but whatever.” She rolled her eyes and sat back down. “So basically, there’s this octoling-Agent Eight, you know her, and she kinda saved the world from this evil telephone that possessed me-hence, uh, all that.” She gestured to her eye. “It kinda is stuck in this perpetual state of feeling numb, to be honest. It’s kinda, uh…” Marie looked at her worriedly. Three usually had her shit together-for her, this was really out of character.

“It kinda hurts.” The inkling mumbled, fiddling with her fingers. “I can see that.” The cuttlefish said, sitting down in front of her and pushing the bag out of the way. “You look so… horrible.” Three only began to fumble with her fingers more. “Well-cod that sounded wrong-I’m sorry.” The inkling only nodded in response, looking more miserable with every word that came spilling out of the cuttlefish’s mouth. Marie loudly sighed. “What I mean to say is that you can tell me anything. Really.” Three scoffed. “You always make fun of me for telling you personal shit, ‘Mar.” Well fuck. She kinda did do that. “I-” Okay, maybe she needed to think before she spoke.

“I’m sorry.” Was all she could utter after a minute or so of silence. Three looked up at the girl. “I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore-truthfully. This whole mess I’m in now…” She looked at her phone once more, only to find there to be no response from her cousin. Only pointless notifications from her social media-none of which holding any meaning without Callie. You know, the person who helped her get to where she was in the first place. “It’s difficult, but I just want you to know that I  _ do  _ care about you and-” She was cut off by the feeling of Three wrapping her into a hug, and cod did she need that right then. They both did. “Th-things are such a mess.” Three whispered into the cuttlefish’s chest. Marie hugged the squid back, gently rubbing her back. “It’s gonna be okay.” She reassured. Was Three… crying? This was all so weird-the inkling was never one to show much emotion-let alone  _ cry _ in front of the idol.

“Three, tell me what’s going on, please. You’re… not acting right.” Three broke out of their embrace and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. “I think…” She sniffled. “Something is s-seriously wrong with me-I keep seeing that fucking telephone in my dreams-I th-think it’s still out there-” She choked on her words, yet forced them out anyway. “Hey, it’s okay.” Marie soothed. “I’m sure you’re just having bad dreams is all-don’t work yourself up over this, okay? It’s in the past now.” Three looked at Marie for a few seconds before nodding and taking a deep breath to regain her composure. “I’m sorry, things just… I don’t think that ink is…  _ right.  _ Nothing about that underground hell seemed right.” The idol chuckled. “Of course it isn’t, it’s burning a damn hole through a bag!” She joked, but the inkling shook her head. “Down in that metro, I remember seeing these sickly green octarians-something was going on down there.” She insisted. Marie winced, not knowing how to remedy the situation. “I’ll… I’ll check it out. You, me, and Eight, we can all talk about it, alright? We’ll figure it out.” Three nodded, but Marie still found doubt to be lingering in her eyes.

“If you need anything, I’ll always be here for you. Me and-yeah. We’ll be here.” The cuttlefish half-smiled. Above anything, she just wanted to make things right, whether it be between her and Callie or her and Three, she couldn’t keep on being a sarcastic asshole to the people she cared about. “Well, thanks but I-I gotta get back home-” “Wait,” Marie interrupted. “Where is the octoling staying again?” Three had forgotten that she never even told the cuttlefish what has been going on with her and Eight. “She’s uh… she’s staying with me, why?” The idol looked at her phone again, still no response from Callie. “Well, seeing as we do have a little catching up to do and I have nothing else planned, why don’t I go back to your place and meet her?” Three felt her face heat up. “W-well-I mean-okay, I guess.” Her place was still a huge mess, but it’d be nice to get to know Marie a little better.

-

“I can’t believe this,” Callie said through her tears as she furiously texted Delilah, inviting them on a shopping spree of sorts. She didn’t care about the missed calls from Marie or the lengthy text she had sent-that wouldn’t make up for anything.  _ ‘I’ll meet you there in a bit!’  _ Delilah texted back. Callie sat down her phone and rubbed the tears away from her eyes before getting up, staring at the mess of ink on her hand. She couldn’t believe she did that-wait, yes, she could. Marie and Ja- _ Four _ -they’re both so…  _ ‘Okay, Callie. Just clean yourself up and get ready.’  _ She made her way over to her bathroom and began to run water over her wound, making her wince as the water made contact with her skin. On small areas in small doses, water was inherently painless. The idol took a washcloth and gently rubbed the ink away, then she turned off the faucet and dried the hand off.  _ ‘This whole situation is just messy.’  _ She thought as she scavenged for the bandages. “Can’t she just… you know… face the music?” Callie mumbled. “Here they are.” She took out the band-aids and began to plaster them over her knuckles, flexing her hand to make sure they’d stay put.

Satisfied with the results, she put things back in their places and went into her room to put some proper clothes on-what she was wearing was honestly just her pajamas. The cuttlefish opened the door to her rather expansive walk-in closet and flicked on the light switch, triggering a large mirror’s lights as well as a small chandelier’s lights to come on. Callie smiled to herself-seeing the fruits of her success always made her smile. Though, speaking of, technically… never mind all that-she had a… a date? A hangout? What do you even call these sorts of things as an adult… certainly not a play date. She grabbed a light pink sweatshirt off it’s hanger along with a pair of black jeans. _ ‘I guess you’d just call it a hangout.’  _ She thought as she began to undress.  _ ‘Calling it a date would be weird…’  _ She slipped the jeans on-cod she forgot how comfortable they were.  _ ‘After all, I just want to get to know them better is all.’  _ The idol put on her sweatshirt and looked at herself in the mirror. “Huh. It’s cute, I guess.” Truthfully, she wasn’t all too in the mood for admiring her outfit. She did her makeup, fixed her tentacles, blah blah blah. All the while, she kept shoving Marie into the back of her mind. What she was doing, where she was, her phone vibrating every few minutes-that didn’t matter. Marie was just… she didn’t want to face her. Callie lastly slipped on a pair of black hi-tops and picked up her phone. 

_ ‘I’m sorry.’ _

_ ‘I’m going over to Three’s place. Please text me back, I want to make sure you’re alright.’ _

_ ‘I really care about you, Callie. I couldn’t care less about our career. Between losing you and our job, I’d choose losing you dead last. You’re m-’ _

She didn’t want to read any more.

-

The pair had been chatting for a while now, sharing small tidbits about themselves and cracking jokes every so often. Three seemed to be enjoying herself, something Marie could tell she needed. “So, where are you from, anyway?” Asked the cuttlefish as they walked along the sidewalk, cars breezing by every once in a while. “A small town just outside the city. But, I moved here once I turned 16.” The agent said, keeping her eyes trained on the pavement, kicking along a small pebble every few steps. “Really? Why’d you move out while you were so young?” The idol inquired, genuinely surprised. Three looked up at the cuttlefish, analyzing her features as if to make sure she was to be trusted. “You  _ cannot _ make fun of me.” She stated, her tone dead serious. “I promise.” Marie said in response. Their pace slowed, Three looking a little lost in thought as she continued to kick the pebble along the pavement.

“I’m pretty sure my parents hated me.” She mumbled. Marie felt a wave of sadness overcome her, yet maintained her composure. “Don’t say th-” “Well they did. They were horrible to me, it’s probably why I think so fondly of Cuttlefish…” The idol still felt sympathy for the agent, yet smiled at the thought of her thinking of the cuttlefish as a father figure. “Well…” Marie began, not knowing how to pick the conversation back up. “You at least feel better, don’t you?” Three looked at the girl, not entirely sure how to respond. “When I first met you, you seemed so reserved and had this hunger for something more in your eyes. You just seemed like you had nothing to live for and craved for your life to have a larger meaning… sorry, that got a little too deep.” She nervously laughed, mentally scolding herself. “Well, you aren’t wrong.” The agent responded. Marie felt downhearted to hear the words leave the girl’s mouth. She had hoped she wasn’t right those two years ago, and yet here she was, hearing her fears be confirmed. “I really didn’t know what to do with myself back then, if I died, so be it. That’s mostly why I kept coming back.” Marie subconsciously placed a hand on the inkling’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re still here.” She whispered. “Yeah…” The agent agreed. “I am, too.”

After several moments of silence, Three piped up with a question. “Is Callie alright?” Three wondered. “I haven’t heard from her in ages.” Marie looked at her phone at the mention of her cousin’s name, checking for any new notifications. “We’re in… a tight spot.” She faltered. The inkling tilted her head in confusion. “Well that’s unusual.” The cuttlefish nodded, putting her phone back inside her pocket. “She’s mad at me-I just wanted to…” The idol groaned, staring at the faraway buildings in the distance. “She isn’t talking to you?” The agent asked, prompting Marie to shake her head. “What’d you do that pissed her off so bad?” The cuttlefish sighed. “She always wants to make friends with whoever we’re collaborating with… and... “ Three stared at her anticipating her answer. “They’ve always… fell through.” The agent gave her an inquisitive look. “Because of…” She awaited for her to finish her sentence. “Callie. I swear, it’s always her...  _ energy _ that makes them cancel at the last second. I love for her to have friends but she can’t keep letting them get in the way of-” “Are you sure it doesn’t have anything to do with you? Changing plans, your insufferable sarcasm-” Marie cut her off. “Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Just drop it.” Three playfully punched her shoulder. “Punch Buggy green, no punch-backs!” She yelled before running further down the sidewalk. “H-hey! It wasn’t even green!” Marie yelled as she ran after the inkling.

-

Marie slid her phone back into her pocket as Three unlocked the door to her apartment. “Well, here’s home-” Three was interrupted by an octoling running up to her and hugging her tightly. “Three! Three I am so sorry!” She cried. “Umm, it-it’s okay?” The agent stammered. “No it is not-I broke your oven!” Three went pale, thinking she almost burnt down the building. “U-um-Marie you c-can come in.” The idol did so, sliding past the pair. “Who is Ma-” Eight looked the cuttlefish up and down multiple times, confirming her identity. She did look rather odd without her tentacles all done up, but she was still recognizable to the octoling. “S-Squi-” “Yes, Eight. She’s my... friend. I guess we’re technically friends now.” As the octoling had an internal meltdown, Marie let out a chuckle. “And we weren’t friends before? Jeez, Three.” The inkling’s face went green with embarrassment. “Hah, I always thought of us as more of… business partners? Whatever-we’re friends now-I don’t care.” Three placed a hand on Eight’s shoulder and sighed. “Eight, you need to show me whatever mess you made.” 

The octoling nodded and took the squid’s hand, leading her into the kitchen. “It is sharp.” She stated as Three groaned. “One, that’s the  _ microwave.  _ Two… why is there milk on the floor?” Marie came up behind the two in order to get a better look at the situation. “I think she was trying to microwave cereal.” The idol observed. “It was not warm…” Eight mumbled bashfully. Three hung her head as she left to fetch the broom. “I’m not looking forward to cleaning this up…” Marie only cackled at the inkling’s misfortune. “I’ll sit down with Eight, you have fun with that.” She gestured to Eight to follow her into the living room. “You’re not gonna help me?” The inkling annoyedly exclaimed, prompting Marie to shake her head. “Now I remember why I didn’t bother with you…” She mumbled. Marie pretended not to hear her comment as she lead Eight to the couch. The idol collapsed onto the couch, tired from all the talking, walking, and arguing she had done that day. 

“So,” The octoling next to her began to speak. “You are Marie of the Squid Sisters?” The cuttlefish in questioned nodded. “That’s so cool…” She whispered, making Marie giggle in amusement. Eight gave her a slightly confused look. “Sorry, it’s just… that’s the most innocent response I’ve ever gotten.” The octoling smiled, taking it as a compliment. “Would you rather speak in Octarian?” She questioned. She saw the agent’s eyes light up as she nodded.  _ “I’m sorry if I’m a little rusty, it’s been a while.”  _ The octoling didn’t seem to care-all that mattered was that her idol could speak the language she was most fluent in.  _ “You’re so awesome, Marie!”  _ Eight exclaimed, causing Marie to let out a chuckle.  _ “Thanks, Eight.”  _ She responded.  _ “I’m pretty sure that was your song I heard-the one that set me free from… Octavio?”  _ The idol nodded.  _ “It tends to do that. I’m pretty sure that’s how Marina ended up here.”  _ The agent’s eyes lit up once again.  _ “Tell me more!”  _ The octoling had the innocence only matched by that of a child’s.  _ “I don’t know too much about her past-it’d be best if you’d ask her yourself.”  _ Eight nodded, showing she understood.  _ “Do you know about Octavio?”  _ The girl asked shyly. 

_ “Yes, why?”  _ The idol questioned.  _ “W-well… I just forget. What he was like, I mean. I think I remember something about his music, but that’s about all. I feel like… he’s made out to be bad-but was he really?”  _ Marie looked beyond the octoling, lost in thought about the octarian. He brainwashed Callie and forced cod only knows how many octarians and octolings into his militia.  _ “He’s... rather bad.”  _ She mumbled.  _ “He kinda brainwashed Callie and practically everyone under his rule with his music.”  _ Eight nodded, looking down at her clawed fingers.  _ “I want to show you something.”  _ The octoling shot up, raced down the short hallway, and went into a room she could only presume was Three’s. Marie took a moment to look at her phone-still no response. She then felt someone sit down next to her. There sat a smiling agent Eight with a notebook in her hands.  _ “I remembered that I had written a poem about Octavio whilst in the metro.”  _ The girl flipped to a page and began to read aloud. 

_ “I leave without ceremony. _

_ Don't be too sore I wanted more. _

_ My sincerest apology.” _

_ “Interesting,”  _ Said Marie, peering over to get a better look at the hardly legible scribbles written in the octoling’s notebook.  _ “Do you have more?”  _ The girl nodded and read another.

_ “Your song inspired a blush of love. _

_ It gave my heart a fresh new start. _

_ Now I ascend to shores above.” _

_“That one’s about-” _Marie’s phone buzzed, prompting the idol to look down. “Callie!” She jumped up and stared intensely at the notification, leaving Eight confused. _“You just spent $52,250 at Guppi, Nautilus Vuitton, Calvin Krill-” _She felt her mind draw a blank and her vision began to blur with rage. The idol dropped her phone on the floor before walking into the kitchen where she saw Three dumping her now destroyed microwave into the trash can. “Three.” The cuttlefish addressed, feeling like a ticking time bomb down to her last few seconds before completely exploding. “Yeah?” The squid replied, Eight coming up behind Marie to see what all the fuss was about. “We should go turfing.” She stated, a false smile on her face. “Turfing? But-” Marie’s stare sent chills down Three’s spine, leaving her feeling cold and pale. “Let’s go turfing, Three.” She said, death in her eyes. The inkling nervously nodded. “H-how's about you explain the rules to Eight… I don’t want her staying home alone-th-that and she should try it out.” Marie nodded, fighting back the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. “I’ll call Four, too.” She said. Three went to argue with the idol, but remembered her piercing glare and left to get into a more appropriate outfit for the sport.

-

Callie and Delilah were having a rather nice time together, the cuttlefish insisting on purchasing her friend whatever they liked. She bought almost anything they even glanced at-at the demise of their bank account, of course. She ended up spending thousands on designer clothes for the octoling, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t a care in the world at that moment, pushing any thoughts of Marie right out of her mind. Just as quickly as they came in, they were forced right back out. Telling her friend about the wonders of the surface, about all the things they could do and see-they even stopped into the music store where Callie bought them some albums she thought they might like, much to the octoling’s delight. Nothing could ruin her good day. Absolutely-”Callie?” Came a familiar voice. The idol whipped her head around, looking for whoever had called her name.

She was not happy whatsoever when she saw that damn squid’s face. 

Four- _ Four _ -she'd much rather deal with paparazzi than the hell spawn of a squid she was going to have to acknowledge one way or another. She offered a polite wave and smile before getting ready to take off- _ ”Oh! Is she your friend?” _ Delilah asked. She couldn’t let her bad side show-not now.  _ “Y-yeah!  _ Hi, Four!” She internally cringed, both at her visible awkwardness and having to now introduce the two. “What are you doin’ here?” The inkling asked, finally catching up with the pair. “Just shopping.” The idol plainly responded. “And... who is that?” Four pointed to the octoling beside her. “Delilah.” She answered, trying to keep a smile on her face. “Ah, Delilah! Nice to finally meet you!” The inkling said, holding out a hand for the octoling to shake, which they did happily. “I’m agent Four, but you can just call me Jamie.” The octoling nodded. “It is very nice to have meeting you too!” The cuttlefish heard the inkling snicker at the octoling’s broken inklish, only making her more and more furious by each ticking minute. “So, what are you doing here?” Callie asked rather condescendingly. “Well, I  _ was  _ just gonna shop around, but Marie called not too long ago.” The cuttlefish nodded, half tuned out, not wanting to hear about her cousin. “Are you gonna go turfing with us and her?” The agent asked, prompting Callie to shake her head ‘no’, though she was curious as to who ‘us’ entailed. “Ah, too bad. Well I’ll get going, see you later!” She said as she ran off. Callie let out a silent sigh of relief.  _ “Your friend is very nice.”  _ Delilah said, smiling wide.  _ “Yeah,”  _ She laughed.  _ “That’s one way to put it.” _

-

The three found themselves in Inkopolis Square, Marie  _ still _ obsessively checking her phone for any updates. Eight looked around, her curious eyes taking in every bit of the scenery, her senses fully stimulated by the busy area. Over there, another octoling, and not too far away from him was a tall inkling wielding a roller. Though it was intimidating to see all of these people with such large weaponry, it still seemed almost beautiful to the girl. A world where there was trust between people-one so lovely and filled with bustling life-it almost seemed too good to be real. “Okay, Eight.” Three’s voice snapped the octoling out of her trance. “You need a weapon, so come with me.” The girl nodded and took the agent’s hand. “We’ll be back, watch my stuff.” She called to Marie before the inkling began to weave her in between hoards of people, some carrying weapons and some with plain old shopping bags. Eventually, the two arrived at a building with a large screen just above the entrance. Three lead her inside, revealing the shop to be rather bland aside from a multitude of colorful weapons decorating the wall, as well as some inside a glass case. “Hello, hello!” Rang a high-pitched voice. The octoling looked down, bringing a short horseshoe crab into her vision. “What kind of-well, if it isn’t agent Three! A pleasure to see you again!” He beamed. 

“Hey, Sheldon. My friend needs a weapon, can you set her up with something?” The inkling asked, rolling her eyes knowing the onslaught of words that were about to be thrown at her were going to be relentless. Eight’s eyes wandered across the store, taking in the new scenery. “Sure can!” He approached the octoling, who was still looking around curiously. “So, is this the octoling I’ve been hearing about?” Three nodded. “The one and only savior of our world.” She yawned, tapping her shoe. “Well then, I’m sure she’d do perfectly fine with almost any weapon! But you know the drill.” He cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the slightly oblivious octoling. “He-” The inkling cut him off, not wanting to hear him ramble for the next 20 minutes and spoil their fun. “I’m sure she knows how to operate some weaponry, just let her test one out.” The horseshoe crab sighed, walking behind the glass counter. “Which one you want, Eight?” Three leaned in, whispering to the girl. She pointed to an inkbrush. “You… you’re sure?” The octoling nodded affirmatively. “Ah, a great choice!” Sheldon complimented, handing the weapon over to Eight. “I’ll have you know that-” “Just let her play around with the thing, dude.” 

He hung his head in defeat yet again, leading the two to the testing area. “Let me know if you need anything!” He sang before closing the door. Three leaned up against the wall, waiting for the octoling to begin. “So, I just,” Eight awkwardly swung the brush, feeling somewhat nervous about having the inkling watching her. “Yeah, you can ink up the whole place if you want to.” The girl nodded and ran forward, creating a trail of ink. She then dove down before jumping back out and rapidly swinging around the brush, splatting the dummy. She swung again at another, this time dashing to her right. The octoling looked at the weapon in her hands, repositioning it to fit more comfortably. She thought for a moment before throwing a bomb at another dummy, watching as ink flew. “Does it feel good?” Called Three. Eight nodded back at her, tossing the weapon around in her hands. “Lovely.” Eight mumbled, turning it over in her palms. “Alright, come on. Marie is waiting.” Eight smiled and ran back up to the inkling, following her back inside of the small shop. “That’s the one you want, right?” Eight nodded again as the agent gently took the weapon out of her hands and placed it onto the counter top. “How much?” She asked. “2,600.” Came Sheldon’s reply. The inkling coughed up her cash, leaving the right amount on the counter and giving the brush back to Eight who seemed slightly confused about the whole exchange. Three nudged her arm before leading her out of the store. “Come again!” Sheldon called as the octoling was dragged back into the city.

-

Marie stared at Four’s frankly ridiculous new outfit, a colorful windbreaker paired with a pair of yellow slides and li’l devil horns with sequins decorating her cheeks. “Well aren’t you colorful today.” The idol remarked. “Beats your depressing hoodie.” The inkling retorted, studying the cuttlefish’s outfit. “You look like a train wreck, dude.” The cuttlefish felt her face heat up. “Well, I was in a hurry, alright?” Four snickered, laying her clear dapple dualies on the table next to Marie’s charger. “So, I saw Callie earlier,” The inkling began, sitting down next to the girl. “Y-you did?” She stammered, desperate for more information. “Yeah, at Arowana.” The cuttlefish remembered the notification on her phone-the one that made her fume in the first place. She took a long silent breath, attempting to calm herself before speaking again. “Was it just her?” Questioned the idol. “Her and that Delilah, yeah. Why?” Marie felt her ink begin to boil, but thankfully, she saw the inkling and octoling emerge from the crowd. “Well, well, agent Three and her new ‘best friend’!” Smirked Four. 

“One, shut up.” Three started, picking up her hero shot from the table. “Two-” She was interrupted by a familiar jingle coming over the loudspeakers of the square. The quartet looked up at the large screen looming over the lobby, seeing the logo for Off The Hook appear. Eight looked confused at first, but once she saw Pearl and Marina appear on screen she began ecstatic. “Three, Three! Look!” She yelled, pointing to the screen. The inkling nodded, waiting for the new stages to be announced so they could move on with their lives. “Y'all know what time it is!” Pearl’s voice boomed. “It’s Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE live from Inkopolis Square!” Thank cod Eight didn’t know they were only a few buildings over, otherwise she would have been being dragged over to see them. The duo announced the stages, Three tuning out after the announcement of the current ones for turf war. Walleye Warehouse and Starfish Mainstage. Not the most interesting places, but they were easy enough for Eight to adjust to turfing on, she supposed. Speaking of, the octoling was standing next to her, gawking at the girls onscreen and holding her hand. Admittedly, she was extremely glad to have Eight in her life. She was keeping things interesting and actually got her out of her apartment. This is truly a miracle. But squids, please do  _ not  _ try this at home. “Don’t get cooked, stay Off the Hook!” The signature motto snapped her out of her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

“Anyway,” Three sighed, turning back to Marie and Four. “Let’s go. Eight’s all set.” The octoling beside her smiled and Four pouted before rising to her feet. “Already? I like just sat down!” The inkling whined as Marie stood as well, holding her charger up against her shoulder. “Come on, Jamie, you’ll live.” She said, walking off towards the pair who were already halfway to the lobby. The inkling picked her dualies up and dragged herself along with the trio. “Maybe I won’t, Marie. Maybe I’ll die on the way over there.” Marie chuckled, looking back at the girl. “Wouldn’t that just make my day!” Jamie smiled and picked up her pace, playfully punching Marie’s arm. “Don’t be like that! You know you wouldn’t be able to survive a single day without me.” She huffed, making the cuttlefish roll her eyes. “Alright,” Three began, stopped in front of the lobby’s entrance. “so Eight is pretty new to the whole concept of turfing, so you two better help her if she needs it, got it?” Three ordered, causing Four to sigh in annoyance. “Yes ma’am…” The inkling mumbled before walking into the lobby, along with the other three. 

The octoling looked around, watching the lights and screens inside change color. Three pressed a few buttons and said a few things to Marie before another door opened behind them. With her inkbrush resting on her shoulder, she took Three’s open hand as she was lead back outside. She squinted, adjusting to the new lighting. “You’ve super jumped before, right?” The inkling asked as the other two assumed their cephalopod forms and flew away, leaving a trail of ink behind in the sky. Eight nodded, making Three smile as she let go of her hand and turned into a squid, jumping away as well. The girl took a deep breath as she readied herself to jump, her thoughts flooded with the image of the girl smiling. Why, she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Maybe it was because she didn’t smile all too often, always being rather grumpy and mopey. That coupled with the fact that the last few days have been stressful. Okay, maybe the last few  _ months.  _ The octoling felt herself jump away, leaving her feel disoriented, yet she felt as light as a feather. Three was an amazing friend, and she deeply cared for the octoling, she could tell. Although she knew they were friends, it felt different than the friendship she had with Marina and Pearl. Those two were like mothers to her-maybe this was just how friendship on the surface was? Though, it still felt different than how she felt about Cap’n or-“Ready?” Came a loud masculine voice, seemingly out of nowhere. “You’ve got this.” She heard Three say. The octoling shook her head, looking around at the place she was now in. A large warehouse with plenty of grey, slightly disorienting the girl. She held her brush comfortably in her hands before hearing the voice exclaim, “GO!” Her teammates dashed into action, shooting ink all over the floor. 

The octoling ran forward, leaving a trail of bright pink ink as she went. She ducked into the ink and back out at a spot that hadn’t been covered yet and came eye to eye with an unfamiliar inkling. She tossed a bomb and then swing at him whilst running to her right, successfully splatting him in the process. She silently celebrated as she covered the rest of the area before swimming into the middle of the warehouse where she saw Marie on top of a large platform in the middle, splatting the opposing team’s players as soon as they were within shooting distance. The octoling took the opportunity to push forward, nearing their respawn point. Eight looked to her right, seeing Four cover more turf on her side. Confident they’d come out victorious at this rate, she dipped back into the ink to take some time and recharge. She saw Three emerge from her left, following Four.  _ ‘This place is actually pretty small,’  _ She thought before popping back up to cover some missed spots on the ground. While doing so, her special had fully charged up. She looked to her right and saw an opponent who had begun to cover some more turf. She swam over to him before popping out and using her splashdown, successfully splatting the enemy inkling. She then went back over to cover up any spots that may have been left untouched or covered by enemy ink. 

Meanwhile, Three and Four were spawn-camping the team, a bored look on the agents’ faces. “Marie sure is going off with that charger of hers, isn’t she?” Four said in an attempt to make small talk with the other agent who only nodded in response, splatting another poor inkling. “She seemed really mad about something earlier.” She continued, only prompting another nod from the inkling. “So do you…” Jamie splatted an inkling. “Do you know what she’s so pissed about?” She asked. “Callie.” Three responded plainly, dipping into the ink for a few seconds. “Really? Well, come to think of it, Callie didn’t seem too happy either when I talked to her at the mall…” Three rolled her eyes. “Great job with the observation skills…” She mumbled. “Oh! Speaking of,” She began, a malicious tone forming in her voice. “I saw you holding Eight’s hand earlier,” She sang. “I’m  _ convinced _ you-“ The inkling was cut off by Three firing at her. Four wiped the ink off with her sleeve as the other inkling chuckled under her breath. “We’re friends, Four. Nothing more than  _ friends.” _ She spat, splatting another opponent. “You sure? I’ve never seen you smile like that be-“ She was shot with ink again, this time blinding her from seeing an opposing inkling fire at her, splatting her instantly. Three tried to splat the inkling but failed as she had ran out of ink, allowing the opposing team to splat her easily and run freely. Marie took her aim, splatting one of the inklings but missing the other three as they quickly spread out. Eight splatted one as well before the one minute warning came over the loudspeaker, prompting a new song to play. 

Three super jumped to Marie and quickly swam to her left, locating another inkling and splatting her on the spot. Four went off to track down the last inkling, but for now they seemed to be in an okay enough spot. She looked to the other side of the map from where she stood and saw Eight maneuvering around, doing a lot better than she had anticipated. The inkling smiled to herself, feeling her hearts skip a beat at the realization that had hit her. Maybe she  _ did  _ like her. She paused, dipping down into the ink in order to recollect her thoughts. No, she couldn’t be doing this now, she was in the midst of battle! Could Four really read her that easily? No, no. She didn’t like Eight like that, she couldn’t. They were just. Friends.  _ Friends.  _ She felt the sting of enemy ink, causing her to snap out of it and fire back, but it proved to be too late. She was splatted and sent to respawn mere seconds before the buzzer went off, indicating the round was over. She sighed before super jumping back to the lobby to see their results. “We hardly won,” Four mumbled, looking at her teammates. Eight was beaming, clearly having enjoyed herself. “You got 3 splats, Eight! Good going.” Three whispered to the octoling, making her blush and smile even wider. “It was a lot of fun!” She exclaimed. Marie only sighed as she pressed a few things on the screen. “Everyone ready for another match?” She asked, briefly glancing down at her phone. The three nodded, excited for the next few rounds. 

Those ‘few’ rounds, however, quickly turned into a dozen. Then a fair few more, and more, until everyone but Marie was exhausted beyond belief. Eight had performed exceptionally well, as did Marie, ranking higher than the other two agents who were often left to clean up around their spawn point or camp the poor other team who didn’t even stand a chance. It was rare for them to suffer a loss, but even then, it was only by a sliver. “I am tired…” Eight panted, wiping sweat off of her forehead. “I’m not.” Stated Marie, her tone colder than ice. “Marie, you’ve had enough. Seriously.” Jamie retorted, putting a hand over the idol’s own to prevent her from joining another match. “I can see it in your eyes, dude. You’ve been long gone.” The cuttlefish let her charger slowly slide onto the ground. “I just…” She looked over at the three, who were visibly exhausted. She sighed in defeat. “Fine. But I want to talk with you, Jamie.” The inkling nodded, waving back at the other two agents as she and the idol left the lobby. “See you two later!” She exclaimed before skipping out of the building. “We’d better get back, too…” Three muttered to Eight who subconsciously nodded in agreement. “It is late.” She stated. “12:20 AM. Yeah, I’m long overdue for a good night's rest.” The inkling yawned, waving the octoling out of the building.

“That was very fun!” Eight exclaimed, taking hold of the agent’s empty hand.  “You’re… actually really good at turfing.” She complimented. “I guess all that octarian training and shit really paid off in the end, huh?” Whispered the inkling, rubbing her thumb over the girl’s knuckles.  _ ‘Her hands are so soft…’  _ The octoling nodded, dragging her inkbrush behind her. “I suppose. I believe a lot of my experience has come from the tests in the metro.” Three almost felt uneasy at the mention of the place, and could tell it made Eight rather uncomfortable to even talk about it as well. Despite that, however, she still craved closure and answers. Her eye, Eight’s back, that damn phone… but maybe now wasn’t the time. “Three?” Eight began, looking into the inkling’s eyes. One green, one red. One scarred for the rest of time, one as normal as normal can be. “Yeah?” She responded uneasily. “I would like to be called a different name.” The girl felt her uneasiness fade. “Oh, yeah? Whatcha wanna be called then?” She smiled. “I heard the name Brooke? I liked it.” The octoling happily swayed her inkbrush along the pavement. “Brooke it is then.” Three replied. 

There was silence between them before Brooke found the courage to speak up, asking a question that was burning inside her mind. “Why don’t you like your name?” Three’s pace slightly slowed down.  _ ‘Too many questions today,’  _ She thought. “Reminds me of some bad things.” Three mumbled, twirling her gun on her finger. “There is always the possibility of making good memories, though.” The octoling countered. Three didn’t have much of a response other than a simple shrug and a, “I’ll think about it.” However, the octoling seemed content with it. The inkling didn’t typically do a whole lot of heavy thinking, but maybe she would this time. Maybe she would for her.

\- 

Callie sat alone in her apartment, hands over her eyes in a mixture of shame and anger. She was still irate at Marie for lacking empathy towards the cuttlefish’s feelings, but also felt remorse for the way she had lashed out and all the money she had spent that day. The idol had felt worse than ever-worse than when she was brainwashed by that Octarian menace Octavio. Speaking of, she still had those shades, didn’t she? She had felt so powerful and yet so useless with them on, unable to save herself and yet she had more potential than ever in battle. Those bombs, that great big stage Octavio had presented her on, it all made her feel so much more competent. Callie looked over at her closet from her bed, longing for that feeling of power once again.  _ ‘Would I…’  _ She thought, slowly rising to her feet and walked over to the door, placing her hand on the knob.  _ ‘It’d be so wrong.’  _ The idol shook her head, retracting her hand.  _ ‘We’ve worked too hard for this… but…’  _ She put her hand back onto the knob and opened the door, rushing inside and quickly slamming it behind her.  _ ‘She can live without me for a few days, it’s fine!’  _ She tried to reassure herself, reaching for the drawer the glasses were inside of. Her thoughts were a mix of hatred and worry, but she almost didn’t care-she just wanted some relief from this mess.

Going back to Marie and apologizing… for some reason it just didn’t seem like an option. She had never felt so stubborn, and didn’t really have any justification for it other than the fact that she couldn’t bear to face her cousin. After all, she was probably just turfing with cod knows who, laughing, and having a good time… “Turfing used to be _ our  _ thing, Marie.” She whispered, tearing open the drawer, grabbing the pair of shades and holding them in her hands as if they were a porcelain work of art. The amount of thoughts running through her head were overwhelming. Thoughts telling her not to do it-some telling her it was the only way. The only way to what? Get her attention back, win her complete forgiveness, forget her shame? It felt too late for any of that. It felt like she was a shell of the person she used to be. Ever since Octavio had brainwashed her, she felt these holes in her hearts. Ones that couldn’t be filled by working herself to the bone or splatting some poor inklings in turf wars to relieve her anger. No, she didn’t know what it was. She didn’t know what it meant. She didn’t know what she needed.

“Maybe it’ll help,” Callie whispered, her shaky hands bringing the glasses up to her face, the lights feeling as if they were calling her name. “Just for a minute-it’ll be fine.” She lied, putting on the shades and clutching her head as some all too familiar music began to ring inside her head. The sound was deafening, she couldn’t even hear her own screams or feel herself fall onto the ground, crying out in pain.  _ “Callie.”  _ She heard her name being called by a familiar deep voice, seemingly from out of nowhere. All control over her thoughts, her actions, her body simply wasn’t her own anymore.  _ “Callie, come and let me out of here!”  _ Ah, Octavio, of course. He wanted freedom-it’s all he ever talked about back in Octo Valley.  _ “Come on!”  _ He yelled. The cuttlefish slowly stood up, feeling her mind begin to swirl. She steadied herself as she ripped a hoodie off of its hanger and put it on, throwing the hood over her head to conceal her identity. “Whatever,” She muttered, leaving her closet with her head hanging low.  _ ‘Cod, what would Marie think?’  _ The idol wanted to scream at herself, but the overwhelming need for her to see Octavio trumped over any reasonable thoughts she could be having at that moment, instead filling her mind with images of the octarian. 

“She’s nothing without me.” Callie plainly told herself, walking out of the apartment and silently closing the door behind herself.  _ ‘I’ve always been in charge-if she didn’t know that before, she’ll know it soon enough.’ _ She stared at the ground as she walked, watching as cold tile turned into pavement, and pavement turned into grass, and grass turned into the grate leading to Octo Valley. 

Well, it was time to show Marie and the rest of Inkopolis what she was really made of, wasn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope,, its consistent and makes slight sense again, i write dis shit at like 3 am and when i just want to sleep WRITING IS HARD-  
I meant to upload this earlier but my life has literally been a series of unfortunate events. i literally got in a car accident how am i alive-anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter,, it was kinda a pain in the ass 2 write but its going somewhere,, trust me everything may or may not come together in the end.


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